Image credit: The Byteline

Career-networking platform LinkedIn has argued that it is too unappealing to children to be included in Australia’s proposed ban on social media for minors under 16.

“LinkedIn simply does not have content interesting and appealing to minors,” the Microsoft-owned company stated in its submission to an Australian Senate committee reviewing the legislation.

The Australian government plans to introduce what it calls "world-leading" legislation aimed at preventing children from accessing social media platforms, citing concerns about online harm to minors. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has championed the law, saying it addresses parents’ fears about their children's safety online.

“This is for the mums and dads who, like me, are worried sick about the safety of our kids online,” Albanese stated.

The proposed law has garnered international attention, with other countries, including the UK, indicating they are open to following Australia’s lead.

While the legislation aims to safeguard children, it has faced significant resistance from major tech companies, including Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snap Inc. These firms have raised concerns about the rushed timeline and the feasibility of implementing the required measures.

• Meta: The parent company of Instagram argued that the bill “ignores evidence” from child safety and mental health experts and would fail to reduce the burden on parents to protect children online.
• Google: Stated it needed more time to analyze the legislation, which also affects its subsidiary YouTube.
• Snapchat: Echoed concerns that the bill’s framework is impractical and does not adequately account for expert feedback.
• TikTok Australia: Criticized the bill’s “rushed passage,” citing risks of unintended consequences and emphasizing that it relies on age verification technologies still under trial.

The legislation would require social media platforms to implement robust age-verification systems and prohibit access to minors under 16. While some countries, like France, have adopted similar policies, research shows such restrictions are often circumvented using VPNs and other tools.

X (formerly Twitter) questioned the bill’s legality, while privacy advocates have highlighted potential issues with data collection and user rights. Australia’s privacy commissioner, Carly Kind, expressed concerns about the privacy implications of a social media ban. Similarly, Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Findlay criticized the one-day submission window for responses as “entirely inadequate.”

In contrast to other tech giants, LinkedIn has taken a different stance, arguing that it should be excluded from the legislation altogether. The platform stated that its minimum age requirement of 16 already blocks access to children and that it actively removes accounts belonging to minors.

"Subjecting LinkedIn’s platform to regulation under the proposed legislation would create unnecessary barriers and costs for LinkedIn’s members in Australia to undertake age assurance," the company said.

LinkedIn’s argument, if successful, could exempt it from the expense and disruption of implementing additional age-verification measures.

Despite the Australian government’s ambition to pass the bill by the end of the parliamentary year, experts have criticized its rushed timeline. The Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee allowed just one day for public submissions on the bill.

Critics argue that such an expedited process leaves little room for adequate scrutiny. “We need actual consultation, not just the appearance of it,” Human Rights Commissioner Findlay stated in a LinkedIn post.

Australia’s efforts to tighten social media restrictions for minors have drawn interest from other countries. In the UK, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle recently said similar legislation is “on the table.” France has already enacted a law requiring social media platforms to block children under 15 without parental consent, although research indicates nearly half of underage users bypass the restriction.

As Australia prepares to implement one of the strictest social media regulations in the world, tech companies and experts continue to question the bill’s practicality, privacy implications, and rushed timeline. Whether LinkedIn can exempt itself and how the government addresses the concerns of major platforms will shape the future of this controversial legislation—and potentially set a global precedent for online safety.

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