When the Labor government decided its next big policy idea was tackling the effects of social media on teenagers, it may not have counted on landing the world’s richest man as its biggest opponent.
X owner Elon Musk, who catapulted to Donald Trump’s inner circle by bankrolling much of his campaign, has made his stance on Anthony Albanese’s attempt to ban kids under 16 from using social media — including his own platform — abundantly clear.
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“Seems like a backdoor way to control access to the Internet by all Australians,” Musk wrote on X, replying to Albanese’s post announcing the bill’s introduction.
The new laws, which will see social media platforms fined up to $50 million for failing to keep kids off their services, are expected to pass next week with Coalition support.