Australian lawmakers on Wednesday moved a step closer to banning under 16 from social media platforms, threatening companies that fail to comply with multimillion-dollar fines.

According to the report, the decision has passed parliament’s lower chamber and is now set to be debated by the Senate.

New Telegraph reports that the new rules would mean the likes of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat to take reasonable steps to prevent young teens from having accounts.

READ ALSO

However, social media firms which could face fines of up to Aus$50 million (US$32.5 million) for failing to impose the ban have described the laws as vague, Problematic, and rushed.

Centre-left Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, eyeing an election early next year, has enthusiastically championed the ban and rallied Aussie parents to get behind it.

In the run-up to Wednesday’s vote, he painted social media as a platform for peer pressure, a driver of anxiety, a vehicle for scammers, and, worst of all, a tool for online predators.