Elon Musk hits out at Albanese government’s ‘backdoor’ social media ban

Elon Musk has taken to his own social media platform to blast the Albanese government’s proposed new laws to stop kids and teenagers under the age of 16 from using social media.

The world-first legislation was introduced to Parliament on Thursday, promising to keep teens off TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, Instagram, and Musk’s own X — at a minimum.

The legislation creates an obligation for social media platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent users under 16 years from having an account. If they don’t, the tech companies face fines of up to $50 million.

Musk, who has butted heads with the Australian government multiple times this year, has weighed in on the matter, saying the bill “seems like a backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians”.

While the billionaire — who was recently named by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the US’ new department of government efficiency — might not be a fan of the ban, it is likely to get strong bipartisan support in parliament.

There have, however, been some critics on home soil, including Independent MP Zoe Daniel who warned that the bill could unintentionally make platforms “less safe”

Ms Daniel told the ABC she worried the ban would not “substantively change what the platforms need to be doing” to actually protect users from harmful content.

“If you were to create a system where the platforms have to take responsibility, mitigate risk and be transparent about how they’re doing that and what tools they’re using, then that sort of provides, potentially, an environment where everyone can be in a safe space,” she said.

“What we’re doing is saying, ‘Well, we’re going to lock everyone under 16 out, and then everyone else can do whatever they want in there’.”

Ms Daniel also said young people under the age of 16 are almost certain to find a way onto the platforms even with the ban.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has likened the ban to age restrictions on alcohol, acknowledging that although people could find ways around it, it sets a standard.

The laws would come into force 12 months after passing.

The eSafety commissioner would be responsible for enforcing the legislation.