A technology trial to ensure social media companies can enforce an age limit is yet to begin more than six months after Labor announced funding for the critical step to protect children online. Source: Herald-Sun.
The go-slow means the federal Government will have to unveil its social media age limit proposal without the results of the technology pilot, as Labor remains committed to introducing the legislation before parliament rises at the end of November.
Communications department officials on Tuesday told a senate estimates hearing the tender for the trial – first announced by Anthony Albanese in May – was only due to be finalised “in the coming days,” with the project expected to be completed in the “first half of next year”.
Officials said the trial would inform the “implementation” of the Government’s age limit laws, and was not required for the initial legislation.
But the Coalition has criticised the pace of the important piece of work at a time when Australian parents worried about the impact of social media on their children are “crying out” for “decisive action”.
Labor allocated $6.5 million in the 2024-25 budget to test a “wide range” of these technologies in a pilot first announced by the Prime Minister on May 1.
Mr Albanese then pledged to introduce laws establishing a minimum age for social media in Australia, indicating his personal preference was to set the limit at 16-years-old.
The Coalition has also backed raising the minimum age.
But Coalition communication spokesman David Coleman said it was “farcical” the age assurance trial still hadn’t started.
FULL STORY
Labor’s social media age assurance trial kicked into next year (By Clare Armstrong, Herald-Sun)
