(Bloomberg) — Global tech giants including Meta, TikTok and Google have sharply criticized Australian legislation banning children under 16 from social media platforms, setting the stage for a political fight as the government is trying to pass the bill through Parliament this week.

Under the proposed law, Australians under the age of 16 will be banned from creating accounts on all major social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Reddit, even if they obtain parental permission. Social media giants will be tasked with enforcing the ban, under threat of fines of up to A$50 million ($32.5 million).

The centre-left Labor government has not explained how the proposed age verification technology would work, although Communications Minister Michelle Rowland told parliamentary colleagues last week that it would not involve uploading a personal ID document.

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Australia’s Senate, or upper house of Parliament, is conducting a brief inquiry into the legislation, which is due to report on Tuesday; However, given that the bill has the support of the center-right opposition, it is almost certain that it will become law within days.

In their submissions to the Senate inquiry, tech companies have warned of negative and unintended consequences of hastily drafted laws.

TikTok ANZ director of public policy Ella Woods-Joyce called the legislation “rushed” and “unworkable” in her submission, pointing to poor privacy safeguards. Meta said the social media ban “neglects the practical reality of age-guarantee technology.”

Meta and Google said it was important for Australia to wait until a national trial of age verification technology was completed before passing the bill.

“In the absence of such outcomes, neither the industry nor Australians will understand the nature or extent of the age safeguard required by the Bill, nor the impact of such measures on Australians” , Meta said in his brief.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s X Corp said the bill was “alarming,” adding that it raised “serious concerns about the legality of the bill,” which could lead to a challenge judicial legislation.

“There is no evidence that banning young people from social media will work, and putting it into law in the form proposed is very problematic,” X said in a submission to the commission, adding that the draft law was “vague”. Elon Musk’s social media site, formerly known as Twitter, has previously taken the Australian government to court several times over its attempts to control social media.

Nearly every tech company has warned the laws could also harm the mental health of young Australians if rushed through, cutting off vulnerable teenagers from online community support networks.

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