Elon Musk Concerned Under 16 Social Media Ban Could Force Digital ID on All Australians

The Australian government has proposed a bill to restrict social media access for under 16-year-olds due to concerns about increasing mental health issues. However, tech billionaire Elon Musk has challenged this ban, stating that it could lead to age verification and data collection of children nationwide. The bill, known as the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024, aims to set 16 years as the minimum age for social media use, affecting platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, Instagram, and X. Failure to comply with the age restrictions could result in fines of up to $49.5 million for body corporates like Meta, TikTok, and X. The bill also gives the government the power to exclude certain services, such as messaging apps, from the ban. While some politicians support the ban to protect children from online harm, others have raised concerns about the short timeframe for submissions and the potential requirement for digital IDs to access social media. The bill is currently under review by the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee, with a report expected by November 26. Please rewrite this sentence.

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