Australia Passes Landmark Order Banning Social Media For Under-16s

Australian lawmakers passed landmark rules to ban under 16s from social media on Thursday, approving one of the world's toughest crackdowns on popular sites like Facebook, Instagram and X.

The bill has now passed both parliamentary chambers with bipartisan support, and social media firms will soon be expected to take "reasonable steps" to prevent young teens from having accounts.

The firms -- who face fines of up to Aus$50 million (US$32.5 million) for failing to comply -- have described the laws as "vague", "problematic" and "rushed".