Big Tech corporations on Friday hit out at a landmark Australian law that bans youths under the age of 16 from accessing social media, saying the law was "rushed" through parliament. Australia approved the social media ban for children late on Thursday.

Even a 2023 recommendation by the U.S. surgeon general to put health warnings on social media, blaming it for what he called a teenage mental health crisis, could not help lawmakers from Florida to France navigate resistance on grounds of free speech,

Australia’s controversial new law banning social media platforms for anyone under 16 years old is receiving both praise and criticism. Hanako Montgomery explains how this legislation came to be.

Australia's lawmakers have voted to ban those under the age of 16 from using social media—even if their parents are okay with it. On Friday morning, Australia’s house of representatives approved the bill with bipartisan support,

The world's first social media ban for children under 16 was hailed Australia's Prime Minister, but critics said it does nothing to address harmful content existing on the internet, saying children "absolutely will bypass it".

By Byron Kaye SYDNEY (Reuters) -Since Meta whistleblower Frances Haugen aired internal emails in 2021 showing the tech giant knew of social media's mental health impacts on teenagers, world leaders have agonised over how to curb the technology's addictive pull on young minds.