Australia plans to impose social media ban on children under 16

MELBOURNE, Australia — The Australian government on Thursday announced what it described as world-leading legislation that would set a 16-year age limit for children to start using social media and would hold platforms responsible for ensuring compliance.

“Social media is harming our children and I’m giving it time,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

The law will be presented to the Parliament in the last two-week session this year, which will start on November 18. Albanese told reporters that the age limit would come into force 12 months after the law is passed.

Platforms like X, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook will need to use this year to figure out how to exclude Australian children under 16.

“I’ve spoken to thousands of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. They, like me, are very concerned about our children’s online safety,” Albanese said. he said.

The proposal comes as governments around the world grapple with how to regulate young people’s use of technology such as smartphones and social media.

Social media platforms will be penalized for violating the age limit, but underage children and their parents will not be penalized.

“The onus will be on social media platforms to show that they have taken reasonable steps to block access. The responsibility will not rest with parents or young people,” Albanese said. he said.

Antigone Davis, head of security at Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said the company will comply with any age restrictions the government wants to impose.

“But what’s missing is a deeper discussion about how we enforce protections, otherwise we run the risk of feeling better as if we’ve taken action, but young people and parents won’t find themselves in a better place,” Davis said in a statement.

He added that more powerful tools in app stores and operating systems so parents can control what apps their children can use would be a “simple and effective solution.”

X did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. TikTok declined to comment.

Digital Industry Group Inc., an advocate for the digital industry in Australia, described the age limit as a “20th Century response to the challenges of the 21st Century”.

“Instead of blocking access through bans, we need to take a balanced approach to create age-appropriate spaces, build digital literacy and protect young people from online harm,” DIGI managing director Sunita Bose said in a statement. he said.

More than 140 Australian and international academics with expertise in fields related to technology and child welfare signed an open letter to Albanese last month opposing the social media age limit as “a tool too blunt to address the risks effectively”.

Jackie Hallan, director of youth mental health service ReachOut, opposed the ban. He said 73 per cent of young people accessing mental health support across Australia did so through social media.

“We’re upset about the ban. We think young people are more likely to get around a ban and our concern is that the ban really drives the behavior underground and then if things go wrong young people are less likely to get support from parents and carers. They’re worried they’re going to get into trouble,” Hallan said.

Child psychologist Philip Tam said a minimum age of 12 or 13 would be more feasible.

“My real fear, frankly, is that the social media problem will go underground,” Tam said.

Australian National University lawyer Assoc. Faith Gordon feared that separating children from the platforms could put pressure on families.

Albanese said there may be exceptions and exemptions in cases such as continuing access to educational services.

However, parental consent does not give a child under 16 the right to access social media.

Earlier this year, the government began testing age-restriction technologies. Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, the online watchdog that will oversee compliance, will use the results of this trial to provide guidance to platforms on what reasonable steps they can take.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the year-long preliminary assessment would ensure the age limit was implemented in a “very practical way”.

“Penalties need to be increased to ensure compliance,” Rowland said.

“Every company operating in Australia, whether based here or elsewhere, is expected to comply with Australian law or face the consequences,” he added.

The main opposition party supported in principle the setting of the age limit at 16.

Opposition MP Paul Fletcher said platforms already had the technology to enforce such an age ban.

“It’s not really a question of technical feasibility, it’s a question of whether they’re prepared to do it and whether they’re willing to bear the cost of doing it,” Fletcher told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

“The platforms are saying: ‘This is too difficult, we can’t do this, Australia will become a backwater, it probably won’t work.’ “But if you have well-prepared legislation and act decisively, you can get results.” added Fletcher.