The Australian Senate passed a social media ban for young children on Thursday that will soon become a world-first law. The law will make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts.

Australia's Senate passed legislation Wednesday that, once signed by the country's leader who has strongly endorsed it, will ban children under the age of 16 from using most social media platforms. The new law will give Australia the tightest restrictions of any democracy in the world on children's use of hugely popular social media apps.

The Australian Senate has passed a social media ban for children under 16 years old that will soon become a world-first law.