Australian PM Emphasizes Social Media Accountability Following Meta's Discontinuation of Fact-Checking
Click to start listening
Canberra, Jan 8 (NationPress) The Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, stressed the importance of social media's responsibility on Wednesday after Meta declared it would terminate its fact-checking program.
“Social media carries a social responsibility,” Albanese stated during a press briefing in Mount Isa in the northeastern state of Queensland, reacting to Meta's choice to cease fact-checking.
Addressing the anticipated backlash regarding Australia’s legislation to prohibit social media usage for individuals under 16 years old, Albanese remarked that this is a position they will not withdraw from.
“We are committed to defending Australia's national interest,” he asserted. The Prime Minister linked the increase in mental health challenges among youth to social media use, noting, “I urge social media platforms to recognize their responsibility and act accordingly.”
Under the landmark legislation, minors under the age of 16 in Australia will be barred from using social media starting at the end of next year. Social media companies could face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (approximately $31.17 million) if they fail to take reasonable measures to prevent children under 16 from accessing their platforms. There will be no penalties imposed on young users or their parents for violating these regulations.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced on Tuesday that it would abolish its third-party fact-checking initiative due to the inherent biases of expert fact-checkers and the excessive amount of content being subjected to fact-checking, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
In November 2024, the Bill aimed at prohibiting social media for those under 16 was passed by the Senate of Australia with bipartisan backing.
Local media indicated that the Bill passed comfortably, with the Labour party and most of the Coalition voting in favor, while a majority of the crossbench opposed it.
Social media firms are also restricted from mandating users to provide government identification, including Digital ID, for age verification.
However, messaging apps, online gaming services, and platforms primarily aimed at supporting the health and education of users are exempt from the ban, along with sites like YouTube that do not require users to log in to access their content.
