OR Australia now prohibits at children under 16 to use the social mediaafter its parliament passed the strictest laws in the world.

The ban, which will not take effect for at least 12 months, could see tech companies fined up to A$50 million ($32.5 million) if they fail to comply.

The Australian prime minister said the law was needed to protect young people from the “harm” that social media can cause, a position that resonated with parents.

But critics say questions about how the ban will work — and its impact on privacy and social networking — remain unanswered.

This is not the first attempt worldwide to restrict children’s use of social media, but 16 is the highest minimum age set by any country. Unlike other efforts, it doesn’t include exceptions for existing users or those with parental consent.

Having passed the Senate by a vote of 34 to 19 late Thursday, the bill returned to the House of Representatives where it passed early Friday.

“We want our kids to have a childhood and parents to know we’re watching out for them,” Albanese said.

The law does not specify which platforms will be banned.

These decisions will be made later by the Australian Communications Minister, who will seek advice from the relevant eSafety Authority.

However, the minister stated that the ban would include the Snapchatthe TikTokthe Facebookthe Instagram and the X.

Gaming and messaging platforms are excluded, as are sites that can be accessed without an account, such as YouTube.