Australia proposes social media ban for children under 16

• Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on November 7 that the government plans to legislate to ban children under 16 from using social media.
• The legislation will be submitted to Parliament in 2024, and the law will come into effect 12 months after approval by the members of Parliament.

What happened

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on November 7 that the government is planning to introduce legislation prohibiting social media use for children under 16. This policy is setting a global precedent. Albanese said at a press conference, “Social media is harming our children, and I am saying no to that.” He added that the legislation will be submitted to Parliament in 2024. Parliament’s approval will bring the law into effect 12 months later. Users with parental consent will not be exempt.

Albanese emphasized, “The onus is on social media platforms to prove they have taken reasonable steps to prevent access, not on parents or young people.” Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the affected platforms will include Instagram and Facebook, which are owned by Meta. The government will also include other platforms, like TikTok and Elon Musk’s X. She added that Alphabet’s YouTube could also fall under the scope of this legislation.

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Why it is important

This policy aims to protect children from the dangers of social media. These dangers include cyberbullying, inappropriate content, and privacy risks. Growing research shows that excessive social media use can harm children’s mental health and affect their social development. This policy helps to mitigate these effects. Restricting children’s use of social media protects their personal information from collection and misuse, enhancing data security. At the same time, this policy encourages children to participate more in offline activities and face-to-face social interactions. This change benefits their overall development. Australia’s proposal reflects global concerns and regulatory trends regarding children’s use of social media, which may encourage other countries to adopt similar measures.