The Australian Senate on Thursday passed a bill banning children under 16 from using social media, positioning Australia to become the first country to enact such a law as governments worldwide seek to protect young people from the mental and physical health risks posed by social networking sites.

The legislation will require social media companies to “take reasonable steps” to prevent those under 16 from creating or holding an account on platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Reddit and X, or face fines of up to AU$49.5 million ($32 million).

Users and their parents will not be penalized for breaches of the age limit by the law, with the onus to be placed on social media platforms to verify the ages of account holders.

The bill, introduced just a week ago by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor government, has garnered widespread public support and backing from the main opposition bloc, the Liberal-National coalition, enabling its swift passage through the House of Representatives on Wednesday and the Senate on Thursday.

The House is expected to endorse opposition amendments made in the Senate on Friday in a final formality before the bill becomes law.

Under the law that will come into effect in one year at the earliest to allow platforms time to prepare, messaging services and those that provide educational or health support for children will be excluded from the ban, given communication within families and welfare of youngsters.

Apps likely to be excluded from the ban include Facebook Messenger Kids, WhatsApp, YouTube and Google Classroom, as well as those run by mental health services such as Kids Helpline, according to Australian Communications Minister Michelle Rowland.

A survey conducted in mid-November by polling firm YouGov showed 77 percent of respondents backed the age limit.

Among parents who support the ban is Mia Bannister, whose teenage son Oliver committed suicide earlier this year after battling an eating disorder fueled by bullying and problematic posts on social media.

“My argument is that it’s no different to drinking,” Bannister, 51, told Kyodo News, suggesting the harmful and addictive nature of social media.

However, some lawmakers called for a longer period of consideration on the bill. There are concerns over the legislation that could prevent children from accessing the positive benefits of social media use in a safe way, according to some experts who question how such a ban could be implemented effectively.

Laws imposing age-based restrictions for social media have been planned in France, Britain, Canada and some states in the United States.

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