In Melbourne, Sunita Bose, managing director of Digital Industry Group Inc., urged an Australian Senate committee to delay legislation that would ban children under 16 from social media until at least next year. Bose argued that the Parliament should wait for the results of a government-commissioned evaluation of age assurance technologies, due in June.
The proposed law, which is expected to pass by Thursday, would impose fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars 33 million on platforms for failing to prevent young children from holding accounts. The legislation would take effect a year after it becomes law, giving platforms time to develop technological solutions that protect users' privacy.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland emphasized the need for social media to be safer for children, stating that "social media in its current form is not a safe product for them". She added that there is more to life than constant notifications and pressure to conform to unrealistic standards set by influencers.
Bose faced tough questions from several senators, including concerns about how her 10-year-old stepson was able to create accounts on platforms with a nominal age limit of 13. Bose acknowledged that the industry needs to improve in this area.
