Melbourne, Nov 27 (AP) Australia's House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that would ban children younger than 16 years old from social media, leaving it to the Senate to finalise the world-first law.

The major parties backed the bill that would make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (USD 33 million) for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts.

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The legislation was passed with 102 votes in favour to 13 against.

If the bill becomes law this week, the platforms would have one year to work out how to implement the age restrictions before the penalties are enforced. (AP)

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