X Says Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban Risks Interfering With Foreign Law

X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, has submitted a letter to the Australian parliament urging them to drop efforts to strengthen the nation's underage social media ban. The company argues that the proposed amendments are unnecessary, ill-suited, unfair, and could potentially violate privacy rights. X has vehemently opposed the "highly invasive" information gathering powers that the proposed amendment would allow, claiming that the commissioner lacks "any understanding" of how this would function for the platforms and no safeguards for confidential and commercially sensitive information.

The firm warns that demanding data, documents, and compliance evidence from non-Australians could cause issues for international relations. Australia is part of a global trend to restrict children's access to social media, which began in December when the country banned under-16-year-olds from the platforms. In May, X was fined $463,000 by Australia's internet regulator, eSafety, for failing to comply with child safety measures.

X has previously criticized Australia's "excessive" penalty regime and claimed that a proposal to increase penalties against individuals is "entirely unjustified and disproportionate." Musk has been a vocal critic of Australia's bill to make 16 the minimum age for social media use. Despite some digital rights campaigners believing blanket age bans on social media are "problematic," experts argue that the information-gathering powers are the issue.

Researchers argue that the complete ban on social media for children and minors is problematic from an international human rights perspective, as it infringes on the right to freedom of expression, access to information, and association.