Australia will make it mandatory to have parental permission to use the networks

Teens analyze how social media impacts them 2:41

(CNN) -

Australia plans to force social media companies to obtain parental consent for users under the age of 16 and is threatening to impose fines of up to AU $ 10 million (US $ 7.5 million) on social media platforms. Internet that do not comply, according to the bill published this Monday.

Social media companies, including anonymous forums like Reddit and smartphone dating apps like Bumble, would also be required to take all reasonable steps to determine the age of users and prioritize the interests of minors when it comes to collect data, as per the online privacy bill.

• Children under the age of 10 are using social media.

  So their parents can help them stay safe

The proposed new rules would place Australia among the strictest countries in terms of age controls for social media, and build on efforts to curb the power of big tech companies, following the mandatory payment of media licenses. and plans to toughen laws against online defamation and misinformation.

View of the Australian Parliament House in Canberra on August 20.

This month, Facebook faced the ire of US lawmakers after a former company employee and whistleblower handed over thousands of documents about wrongdoing to Congressional investigators, amid concerns that the company had damaged health. mental health of children and stoked social divisions, a fact cited by lawmakers in Australia on Monday.

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"We ensure that [Australians'] data and privacy is protected and handled with care," Attorney General Michaelia Cash said in a statement.

"Our draft legislation means that these companies will be severely punished if they do not meet that standard," he added.

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Deputy Minister of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention David Coleman said the "leak of Facebook's own internal research demonstrates the impact that social media platforms can have on the body image and mental health of young people."

Two young people say that Instagram put their lives at risk 4:58

Facebook's Director of Public Policy in Australia and New Zealand Mia Garlick said in a statement that the company was reviewing the bill and understood "the importance of ensuring that Australia's privacy laws evolve at a pace comparable to that of innovation. and the new technologies that we are experiencing today. "

Under the bill, the privacy watchdog, the Australian Information Commissioner's Office, would be given full investigative and enforcement powers, with the ability to fine a company up to AU $ 10 million, 10% of your annual billing or triple the economic benefit of any infraction.

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