Australia proposes ‘world-leading’ social media ban for children under 16

The Australian government will legislate to ban social media for children under 16, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday, in what she called a landmark package of measures that could become law by the end of next year.

Australia is testing an age verification system to help prevent children from accessing social media platforms, as part of a series of measures that include some of the toughest controls imposed by any country to date.

“Social media is harming our children and I am making time for that,” Albanese told a news conference.

Albanese cited the risks to children’s physical and mental health from excessive use of social media, particularly the risks to girls from harmful body image depictions and misogynistic content aimed at boys.

“When you’re a 14-year-old kid and you get this stuff, at a time when you’re going through the changes in life and coming of age, it can be a very difficult time and what we do is listen and then act,” he said.

A number of countries have already pledged to restrict children’s use of social media through legislation, although Australia’s policy is among the strictest.

No jurisdiction has yet attempted to use age verification methods such as biometrics or government identification to enforce an age limit on social media; two of the methods are currently being trialled.

Australia’s other world firsts include the highest age limit set by any country, no exemption for parental consent and no exemption for pre-existing accounts.

The legislation will be introduced in the Australian parliament this year, with the laws coming into force 12 months after ratification by lawmakers, Albanese said.

The liberal opposition party has expressed support for a ban.

There are no exceptions for children who have parental consent or already have an account.

“It is the responsibility of the social media platforms to demonstrate that they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access,” Albanese said. “The responsibility will not lie with parents or young people.”

“What we announce here and what we will legislate will truly be world-leading,” Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said.

Rowland said affected platforms include Meta Platforms’ Instagram and Facebook, as well as Bytedance’s TikTok and Elon Musk’s X. Alphabet’s YouTube would also likely fall under the scope of the legislation, she added.

TikTok declined to comment, while Meta, Alphabet and X did not respond to requests for comment.

The Digital Industry Group, a representative body that includes Meta, TikTok,

“Keeping young people safe online is a top priority… but the proposed ban on teenagers accessing digital platforms is a 20th century answer to the challenges of the 21st century,” said DIGI director Sunita Bose.

“Rather than blocking access through bans, we must take a balanced approach to creating age-appropriate spaces, building digital literacy and protecting young people from online harm,” she added.

France last year proposed a ban on social media for people under the age of 15, although users could bypass the ban with parental consent.

The United States has for decades required tech companies to obtain parental consent to access the data of children under the age of 13, leading most social media platforms to block children under that age from accessing their services.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

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