Coalition compares Labor’s social media bill to ‘banning children from libraries’ amid calls for more scrutiny

Nationals’ Matt Canavan warns ban ‘could go way too far’ while Greens’ Sarah Hanson-Young says big tech should not be let off the hook

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Senators from the left and right have demanded a Senate inquiry into the proposed social media ban for children under 16, voicing alarm over the potential for the bill to be rammed through the parliament with little scrutiny just days after it is introduced.

Nationals senator Matt Canavan expressed concern at the prospect of the bill being rushed through without a Senate investigation, after the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, urged that the legislation be passed before Christmas and said lack of a Senate inquiry shouldn’t delay its passage.

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