Elon Musk’s X has called for a delay in Australia’s under-16s social media ban, arguing it has “serious concerns” about the lawfulness of the “punitive” policy.

X was one of over a dozen companies the eSafety commissioner wrote to earlier this month, asking whether they believed they should be required to ban children under 16 years of age from their platform from 10 December, when the law is due to come into effect.

The company has said in a submission to a Greens-led inquiry on age verification systems that compliance obligations for the ban should commence at least six months after the release of regulatory guidelines – which were issued this month – and there should be a grace period.

The eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, has said that she does not intend to target compan

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