Australia’s government has announced plans to ban children under 16 from accessing social media platforms, citing concerns over their wellbeing
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made the announcement on Thursday, describing social media as “doing real harm to our kids” and declaring that the “onus will be on social media platforms to demonstrate they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access.”
The proposed legislation would make Australia among the world’s strictest nations in regulating children’s social media use.
The new laws, set to be presented to state and territory leaders this week, will give tech giants like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) a one-year grace period to figure out how to effectively implement and enforce the age limit.
“This one is for mums and dads. Social media is doing real harm to kids and I’m calling time on it,” Albanese told reporters outside parliament.
He cited concerns over the “pervasive influence of platforms” and the impact on young people, particularly teenage girls, who are exposed to unrealistic body images and other harmful content.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland emphasized that social media companies would face significant financial penalties if they fail to comply with the new regulations.
While the exact fines were not disclosed, Rowland suggested they could reach as high as AU$1 million (approximately US$600,000), noting that such amounts would be well below the annual revenues of these tech giants.
However, the feasibility of enforcing a strict age ban has been questioned by some analysts. University of Melbourne researcher Toby Murray warned earlier this year that “present age verification methods are unreliable, too easy to circumvent, or risk user privacy.”
The government acknowledged that exceptions would need to be made for platforms like YouTube, which teenagers may need to access for educational purposes.
Australia’s move comes as nations worldwide grapple with the challenges posed by social media’s impact on child and adolescent wellbeing.
France passed similar laws in 2023, requiring social media platforms to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent for those under 15.
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The tech industry has responded with a mix of cooperation and caution. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, stated that it would “respect any age limitations the government wants to introduce,”
while Meta’s head of safety, Antigone Davis, cautioned that poorly drafted laws “risk making ourselves feel better, like we have taken action, but teens and parents will not find themselves in a better place.”
AFP
