“We are concerned the government is…”: Read Instagram, Facebook-parent Meta’s response on social media ban in Australia

Australia has passed legislation banning children under 16 from using social media in a move to protect young people from threats online. Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, has responded to the ban, saying “the government is rushing this legislation.”
The ban targets platforms designed primarily for online social interaction, including popular platforms like TikTok, Meta-owned Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.

Meta is committed to creating safe online experiences for young people and we will respect any age limits introduced by the government. We’ve already invested significantly in understanding age and ensuring age-appropriate experiences on our apps, including the recent introduction of Instagram Teen Accounts.
Any new laws aimed at protecting children and teens online should empower parents and be consistently applied across all apps that young people commonly use, including YouTube and online gaming.
We are concerned the government is rushing this legislation without adequate consultation or evidence and there are still many unknowns with respect to its implementation. The legislation as drafted seems out of step with available research and expert opinions, including those 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.
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.

TikTok said that it is likely the ban could see young people pushed to darker corners of the internet.
“Moving forward, it's critical that the Australian government works closely with industry to fix issues created by this rushed process. We want to work together to keep teens safe and reduce the unintended consequences of this law for all Australians,” the company told news agency Reuters.
Australia has exempted platforms with different primary functions, such as YouTube, WhatsApp, Google Classroom, and Messenger Kids.