Bill to ban social media use by under-16s arrives in Australia’s parliament

Legislation to ban social media for under 16s has been introduced in the Australian parliament. The country’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, confirmed the plan to curb the use of social media by kids earlier this month, and the bill has now been presented to lawmakers, Reuters reports.

Many jurisdictions will be watching the proceedings with interest, as concerns about the impact of social media platforms on young minds remain widespread. On Wednesday, the U.K. government launched a study to investigate smartphone and social media use by children, and the country’s tech secretary even said he’s not ruling out an Australia-style ban.

Australia’s approach hinges on pushing platforms to use age verification — potentially including biometric or government ID verification — to prevent minors from accessing such services. Fines of up to $32 million are proposed for systemic breaches, and privacy protections are labeled as “robust.”

Albanese said the government recognizes some kids will find workarounds, but he stressed that the “landmark reform” is about “sending a message to social media companies to clean up their act.”