Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced plans to introduce a ban on social media for children under 16.
The government’s proposed policy, which they call world-leading, aims to restrict young people’s access to platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.
The proposed ban would apply to all children under 16, with no exemptions, not even with parental consent.
In a significant move aimed at protecting children from the potential harms of social media, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced plans to introduce a ban on social media for children under 16. The government’s proposed policy, which they call world-leading, aims to restrict young people’s access to platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. But what does this mean for young Australians and social media platforms?
Albanese shared his concerns, saying, “Social media is doing harm to our kids and I’m calling time on it.” He went on to explain that legislation for the ban would be presented to the Australian Parliament later this year, with the law set to take effect 12 months after being approved. The proposed ban would apply to all children under 16, with no exemptions, not even with parental consent, reports Reuters.
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Under the new law, social media platforms will carry the responsibility to ensure that children are not able to access their services. Albanese emphasised that “The onus will be on social media platforms to demonstrate they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access,” rather than putting the burden on parents or children to enforce the rules.
The legislation is expected to impact some of the world’s biggest social media platforms, including Meta’s Instagram and Facebook, Bytedance’s TikTok, and Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter). Google’s YouTube would also likely be included in the restrictions.
This bold step by Australia places it among the few countries taking significant action to limit social media access for children. While France proposed a similar move last year, their plan allowed for parental consent to override the ban for children under 15. In the United States, social media platforms have been required for years to obtain parental consent for children under 13, effectively blocking underage users from accessing many social networks.
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Ayushi Jain
Tech news writer by day, BGMI player by night. Combining my passion for tech and gaming to bring you the latest in both worlds. View Full Profile
