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Australia introduces legislation to ban under-16s from accessing social media, punishes up to A$50 million for ‘systematic’ infringement by platforms including Elon Musk’s X, Meta’s Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat ($32.5 million) in fines.
Australia is the first country to propose legislation that would make social media platforms, rather than parents, responsible for blocking children’s access to services. The bill was first announced in September and is expected to become law by the end of the year.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “We know social media is harmful to society.” “We want Australian children to have a good childhood and we want their parents to know the government has their backs. This is a breakthrough reform. ”
Technology companies will have to show they are taking “reasonable steps” to prevent people under 16 from registering for an account. This should help reduce the impact of constant alerts and notifications, which can negatively impact children’s sleep, stress levels and attention spans, the bill says.
In case of “systematic failure to comply with the measures”, platforms will be subject to fines.
The Australian government is also conducting trials of age verification technologies, including biometrics, to determine the best way to enforce social media bans and prevent people under 18 from accessing online pornography.
The bill recognizes that it is impossible to completely prevent children from accessing social media platforms. “Some kids will find workarounds, but we’re sending a message to social media companies to clean up their act,” Albanese said.
Australian law maintains that age restrictions are the best approach to restricting social media use, saying similar approaches are used for the sale of alcohol and tobacco.
The bill excludes online gaming and messaging services, as well as YouTube, the Google-owned video platform widely used by schools and parents.
The Wiggles, a musical group popular with children for more than 30 years, will no longer treat YouTube as a social media platform because it acts as a de facto streaming service and already has safeguards in place for children. requested the government.
Governments have emphasized that social media has a negative impact on the mental health of children and teenagers, while some academic and technology companies have warned that banning social media for children could have a negative impact on society. It is claimed that there is also a sex.
Catherine Page-Jeffrey, a lecturer in media and communications at the University of Sydney, said age restrictions were “an appropriate response, given that many marginalized people rely on online communities for support and solidarity.” Not,” he said. He said that without access to popular services such as Snapchat and TikTok, children could flock to unregulated online services.
Mr Jeffrey said it was a mistake to compare social media to alcohol and tobacco as there was “no convincing evidence” that it was equally harmful, and the government needed to encourage younger social media users and more He said there should have been consultation.
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The Digital Industry Group, an industry group representing technology companies, expressed concern that the bill was being “passed through Congress without scrutiny or consultation.”
Sunita Bose, the group’s managing director, said: “A blatant ban does not encourage businesses to continually improve safety, because it is more important than keeping young people safe while using the site. “The focus is on preventing people from using the service,” he said.
Australia has promoted tech companies on a number of fronts in recent years, including efforts to force companies like Google and Facebook to pay for news. The company also took legal action against Elon Musk’s X earlier this year to remove violent footage from its site.
