 "Australia speeding up to introduce laws to ban children under the age of 16 from accessing social media. Source: Freepik | Representational Image.")
Children in Australia below the age of 16 will soon not be allowed to use social media as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday said his government would legislate for a ban on them soon.
Albanese said the proposed laws will be tabled in parliament next week which are focused on reducing the harm that social media causes among children in Australia.
The opposition Liberal Party has expressed support for a ban.
He called it world-leading legislation that could become law next year as it will come into effect right within 12 months after it is ratified by lawmakers.
A national cabinet meeting of all premiers and chief ministers has been called on Friday to discuss the proposed legislation.
‘Social media doing harm to our kids’
“Social media is doing harm to our kids and I’m calling time on it,” Albanese told at a press conference, adding that he has spoken to “thousands” of parents and other adults about the issue.
“This one is for the mums and dads. They, like me, are worried sick about the safety of our kids online. I want Australian families to know that the government has your back. I want parents to be able to say, ‘Sorry, mate, that’s against the law’,” he said,
Risk to physical & mental health
The Australian PM also cited the risks to physical and mental health of children from excessive social media use, in particular the risks to girls from harmful depictions of body image, and misogynist content aimed at boys.
“If you’re a 14-year-old kid getting this stuff, at a time where you’re going through life’s changes and maturing, it can be a really difficult time and what we’re doing is listening and then acting,” Albanese said.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsNo exemptions
He further said that there will be no exemptions to children who already have accounts or have parental consent to social media use.
“The onus will be on social media platforms to demonstrate they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access,” Albanese said. “The onus won’t be on parents or young people,” he added.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said penalties will be imposed on social media platforms if they are found to be violating the laws.
“The eSafety commissioner will have responsibility for enforcement and there needs to be enhanced penalties to ensure compliance,” Rowland said.
Instagram, Facebook, X - apps that will be impacted
She further said platforms that will be impacted by the legislation include Meta’s Instagram and Facebook, Bytedance’s TikTok and Elon Musk’s X (formerly known as Twitter).
Alphabet’s YouTube will also likely fall within the scope of the legislation, she added.
According to a report by Reuters, Australia is trailing an age-verification system to assist in blocking children from accessing social media platforms.
In 2023, France proposed a ban on social media for those under 15, but users were able to avoid the restriction with parental consent.
The United States has for decades required technology companies to seek parental consent to access the data of children under 13, leading to most social media platforms banning those under that age from accessing their services.
With inputs from agencies.