Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner has raised concerns about Labor’s crackdown on digital platforms, warning that rushed laws to impose minimum age limits on social media could cause more harm than intended. Source: Canberra Times.
Children aged up to 16 could be banned from accessing social media and gaming platforms next year, under legislation to be introduced by the Albanese Government before the next election.
Lorraine Finlay, who is halfway through her five-year term, said any federal law to regulate social media use must be carefully implemented to ensure it does not negatively impact how children engage online.
“It’s really important that while we recognise a need to act with urgency to address harms that are occurring, we don’t rush in and create a law that won’t work and that hasn’t had proper consultation with children – who are the ones that are going to be most directly affected,” Ms Finlay said.
Labor last month introduced a raft of measures aimed at shielding people from online harms, including proposed online misinformation and disinformation laws, changes to privacy reform, and the creation of offences around doxxing.
The Albanese Government’s pursuit of tougher regulation for big tech companies has been fuelled by a surge in online hate speech amid the Gaza conflict and a rapid spread of disinformation seen after two stabbing incidents in Sydney earlier this year.
Labor’s most contentious draft laws, which allow fines for tech companies who host misinformation and disinformation, have sparked backlash for infringing too heavily on free speech.
After being reworked and reintroduced into Parliament in September, the Government said its revamped bill would target “fake news” that risked undermining elections, circulating false health advice or vilifying individuals or groups based on features such as sex, race or gender.
The misinformation bill has been strongly opposed by the Coalition and requires the support of the Greens and at least three crossbench MPs to pass through the Senate.
FULL STORY
Albanese must not rush social media ban, human rights commissioner says (By Eleanor Campbell, Canberra Times)
