Meta has suggested the Australian Government is rushing through legislation to enact a social media ban for under 16s "without adequate consultation or evidence".

The parent company of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp today reinforced its concerns with the Government's approach in a statement shared to Mi3.

It comes in response to Communications Minister Michelle Rowland's introduction of draft amendments to the Online Safety Act to the House of Representatives on Thursday. The proposed changes would see Platforms owners, not parents or children, bear penalties of up to $AUD50M for breaches of the age limit restrictions.

https://www.mi-3.com.au/21-11-2024/platforms-faces-50m-fine-will-need-authenticate-existing-users-and-definitions-which

While the tech giant reaffirmed assure it will "respect any age limits introduced by the government", it argued that the draft legislation seemed "out of step with available research and expert opinions", including from "within the government, academia, industry, mental health organisations, and Australian parents and young people".

"Furthermore, the Government’s approach will likely require each app provider to collect personal identification or biometric data from all Australians in order to prevent under 16s from accessing their services, an inefficient and burdensome process for everyone," said a Meta spokesperson.

"Parents need clear, efficient ways to oversee the many apps their children use, and that's why we've proposed legislation that requires parental approval and age verification at the operating system and app store level, which reduces the burden and minimises the amount of sensitive information shared."

Meta has previously pointed to its existing approach to teen safety on its platforms, and recently introduced Instagram Teen Accounts that it says will automatically provide built-in protections for young people.

The company has also called on Government to apply any new laws "consistently" across all apps, including YouTube and online gaming.