Billionaire Elon Musk took to his own social media platform X to criticize the Albanian government’s bill to ban social media for teenagers under 16.
If passed, social media companies could be fined up to $50 million if they don’t do enough to verify a user’s age on their platforms.
The world-first legislation, introduced in parliament on Thursday, would also create a legal definition of social media.
But Musk, who has been appointed by President-elect Donald Trump to head a new government efficiency department, has weighed in by saying so.
“Looks like a backdoor way to control internet access for all Australians,” he captioned a retweet from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praising the age limit reforms.
The bill may not be popular with Musk, but it will likely receive a warm welcome in parliament.
There has been broad bipartisan support for restricting minors’ access to social media for some time, and states and territories are considering their own bans.
However, the bill is not without criticism.
Independent MP Zoe Daniel warned on Thursday morning that this could inadvertently make platforms “less secure”.
“My biggest concern about it is that it doesn’t substantially change what platforms need to do on their platforms, and there may be an unintended consequence of platforms becoming less secure,” he told ABC.
“If a system was created where platforms had to take responsibility, mitigate risk and be transparent about how they do it and what tools they use, then that would potentially provide an environment where everyone can be in a safe space.
“What we’re doing is saying, ‘Well, we’re going to block everyone under 16 and then everyone else can do whatever they want there.'”
“And we also know that some people under 16 will come in. I don’t think that’s really a good way to go.”
Meanwhile, Snapchat is expected to be included in the definition of a social network under Australian law.
Snapchat allows users to exchange photos, videos, and messages instead of offering a post board-type feature, like Facebook, Instagram, or X.
Social media companies could be fined up to $50 million under new laws introduced by the Albanian government. Image: NewsWire/Aaron Francis
There was some uncertainty over whether Snapchat could escape the proposed ban by arguing that it was a messaging service and not a social media platform.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has compared the ban to age restrictions on alcohol, acknowledging that people can get around it but arguing that it sets a standard.
The laws would come into effect 12 months after approval.
The eSafety commissioner would be responsible for enforcing the legislation.