New law will deliver a message to tech companies to "clean up their act," the country's prime minister has said.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk, the owner of social media platform X, criticized proposed legislation in Australia that aims to ban social media for children under 16.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Software testers hired by Australia's government to determine how to enforce the world's first national teen social media ban have worked on defence and election contracts but will use another experience to guide their study: wrangling their own children online.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk criticized Australia’s proposed legislation to ban social media access for children under 16, calling it “a backdoor way to control access to the Internet by all Australians.

Elon Musk has blasted proposed legislation from Australia's government that would outlaw access to social media for children under 16.

U.S. billionaire Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X, has criticised Australia's proposed law to ban social media for children under 16 and fine social media platforms of up to A$49.5 million ($32 million) for companies for systemic breaches.

A social media ban for children under 16 passed the Australian Senate Thursday and will soon become a world-first law.

The Australian Senate has passed a social media ban for young children that will soon become a world-first law

Australia passed a law on Thursday to ban social media for children aged under 16 after days of heated debate, setting a standard for other countries to follow in a global push to curb the power of Big Tech.

A social media ban for children under 16 will become first law in the world to levy fines on TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram for allowing youth accounts.

Australia will become the first country in the world to outlaw social media use among under-16s. Children will no longer be able to use Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and other platforms after the Australian Senate passed a law confirming the ban.