Elon Musk criticizes Australia's ban on children using social media

(CLO) Billionaire Elon Musk, owner of social network X, has criticized Australia's bill, which bans children under 16 from using social networks and fines social networks up to 49.5 million AUD (32 million USD) for violations.

The Australian government introduced the bill into parliament on November 21, which would trial an age verification system to restrict age on social media, one of the strictest controls any country has adopted to date.

Facebook social network logo. Photo: Reuters

Later in the day, responding to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's post on X about the bill, Elon Musk, who sees himself as a defender of free speech, said: "This seems like an indirect way to control all Australians' access to the internet."

Several countries have pledged to restrict children's social media use through legislation, but Australia's policy could become one of the strictest, with no exceptions for parental consent and pre-existing accounts.

Last year, France proposed a ban on social media for those under 15 unless they have parental consent, while the US has for years required tech companies to get parental consent to access the data of children under 13.

Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/elon-musk-chi-trich-viec-uc-cam-tre-em-dung-mang-xa-hoi-post322428.html