Australia introduces social media ban for children under 16
In Australia, Parliament has approved a world-first bill barring minors under 16 from social media.
On Thursday, Australia’s communications minister presented a groundbreaking bill banning children under 16 from social media, addressing online safety as a major parental challenge.
Michelle Rowland claimed TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, and Instagram might be fined $50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for allowing children to establish accounts.
“This bill tries to define a new normative value in society that using social media is not the defining feature of growing up in Australia,” Rowland told Parliament.
She stated that “there is general recognition that something must be done in the immediate term to assist young teens and children from being exposed to unfiltered and unending content.”
This law has broad political support. After it passes, platforms have a year to apply the age restriction.
“Too many young Australians find social media detrimental. Nearly two-thirds of 14- to 17-year-old Australians have watched violent, drug-related, or suicide-related content online.
According to government study, 95% of Australian caregivers consider online safety a significant parenting challenge.
According to her, social media sites had a social obligation and might improve damage prevention.
“We’re protecting young people, not punishing or isolating them, and letting parents know we’re in their corner to help their children’s health and wellbeing,” Rowland added.
The prohibition may isolate 14- and 15-year-olds from their social networks, according to child welfare and internet specialists.
Australia Considers Age Restrictions for Online Platforms, Pornography
Rowland said messaging services, internet games, and platforms that promote health and education would not have age restrictions.
We acknowledge messaging app and online gaming hazards. Rowland said that users can still be exposed to hazardous content by other users without automated curation and psychological manipulation to encourage near-endless engagement.
Last Monday, the government hired a British Age Check Certification Scheme partnership to investigate age estimation and verification technology.
Australia wants to block online pornography for under-18s as well as social media for under-16s, a government statement said.
Age Check Certification Scheme CEO Tony Allen stated Monday that age estimation and inference technologies are being studied. The inference process entails establishing a sequence of facts about people that indicate their age.
Rowland warned platforms that misusing age-assurance consumers’ personal data might result in AU$50 million ($33 million) sanctions.
She said age assurance data must be deleted unless the user consents.
Australian digital sector advocate Digital sector Group Inc. called the age limit a “20th century answer to 21st century challenges.”
