The Australian government on Friday announced it will launch an inquiry into social media’s influence in the country.

Michelle Rowland, the minister for communications, and Stephen Jones, assistant treasurer and minister for financial services, said they plan to establish a joint parliamentary committee to examine and report on social media’s impacts in Australia.

The government expects the new committee to conduct inquiries into the spread of illegal and harmful content on social media, how algorithms influence what Australians see, the impacts of that content on mental health, and Meta’s decision to stop paying Australian media companies for news content.

The committee will have the power to compel witnesses, including social media company executives, to attend hearings.

Ms Rowland said the committee would hold social media companies more accountable and transparent.

“These social media companies have enormous reach and control over what Australians see with little to no scrutiny. Establishing this inquiry will provide opportunity and resources for parliamentarians to closely scrutinise these companies and make recommendations on how we can make these platforms accountable for their decisions,” she said.

Meta, Facebook’s parent company, announced in March that it would stop paying Australian publishers for news after current deals under the news media bargaining code expire in 2024.

(Xinhua/NAN)