Australia on Wednesday moved closer to banning social media for children under 16 after the parliament's lower house passed the bill even as Alphabet's Google and Facebook-owner Meta pressed the government to delay the legislation.

Australia’s House of Representatives has passed a bill that would ban children younger than 16 years from social media.

Australia Senate Committee Backs Bill to Ban Social Media for Children By Renju Jose SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian Senate committee has backed a bill that would ban social media for children under 16 but said social media platforms should not force ...

Australia's House of Representatives passes bill banning children younger than age 16 from social media. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events

The Australian government’s plan to ban children from social media platforms including X, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram until their 16th birthdays is politically popular. The opposition party says it would have done the same after winning elections due within months if the government hadn’t moved first.

The Australian government’s plan to ban children from social media to protect them from harm has won almost universal political support

Australia’s plan to ban social media for children under the age of 16 is expected to pass parliament within days after it was signed off in a truncated Senate inquiry, even as lawmakers from across the political divide expressed discomfort at the “rushed” nature of the bills.

Google and Facebook-owner Meta Platforms urged the Australian government on Tuesday to delay a bill that will ban most forms of social media for children under 16, saying more time was needed to assess its potential impact.