Australia should delay social media ban until age-check trial finishes, Google and Meta say

Coalition-backed bill is ‘inconsistent and ineffective’ and should not go ahead until after trial is completed next year, Meta says

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The Australian government should delay passing legislation banning under-16s from social media until a trial of age-assurance technology is completed, Google and Meta have said.

The federal government is pushing to pass the social media ban legislation by the end of this week, and has been accused of attempting to “ram” the bill through the parliament without appropriate consultation. The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has indicated the Coalition will support the bill.

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