#speciflcally because of Australia and the ones we've had for decades

[not-poignant]

Just a reminder that the voting parties against this aren't the two major parties, I believe the other two that have any punching weight in government are Greens, and surprisingly, the Nationals (make sure you 100% check their stances on other things, they're not typically a queer-friendly political party).

Labor (Liberal Lite) and Liberal are both on board for this, it was a huge reason this bill got passed in the first place. Which means if you're not voting for minority parties specifically, especially the ones that have punching weight and a reasonable chance of getting into parliament, you're fucked on this matter, unfortunately.

I remember talking about this all the way back when OSA (the Online Safety Act) got passed. This is also not the end, expect the gov to now push forward for an Australia-wide forced Digital ID online, in an attempt to end all anonymity / safety for folks on social media. If they can pass something this draconian this quickly, there really is no limit on what they can do to us until we get significant minority party rep in parliament (remember, Labor AND Liberal are in favour of this, so they'll be bipartisan on most things within this scope, imho - complain to your local members, and bolster Greens where you can!).

ETA: I would not get your hopes up about it getting taken down in high court. We don't have constitutional rights around things like free speech etc. we'd have to challenge along the axis of human rights of the child violations.

Australian Social Media News

Australia has passed a law that bans anyone under age 16 from using social media starting late 2025, fining tech companies up to A$49.5M for non-compliance. While intending to address mental health concerns in kids and teenagers, the law raises significant risks for privacy, digital access, and the freedom of expression, raising questions about the boundaries of digital censorship.

With that being said, we don’t expect this decision to affect the OTW or any of its projects, including AO3. However, as the OTW, we are against all forms of censorship and will be releasing a detailed statement about the matter soon.

https://www.reuters.com/technology/australia-passes-social-media-ban-children-under-16-2024-11-28/