People under 16 banned from social media platforms in Australia
Australia’s Senate approves world’s strictest social media ban for children and teens
Children under the age of 16 will be banned from using social media in Australia from the end of next year after the Senate approved the world’s strictest rules.
The ban could see tech companies fined $50m if they don’t prevent under 16s from using their platforms.
It means that anyone under the age of 16 are likely to be blocked from sites such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.
The Coalition argued the move was necessary to protect children and young teens’ mental health and wellbeing, although the legislation has been criticised for being rushed.
An inquiry into the new laws ran for just three hours, with Australians only given one day to lodge submissions.
The late vote came on a busy day in the Senate where the government managed to hurry through a number of bills on the final sitting day of the year.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the legislation is needed to protect young people from the “harms” of social media.
Some critics have questioned how the ban will work, while others have raised concerns about social connection.
The government has said it will rely on some form of age-verification technology to implement the restrictions but the details are vague and the technology has not been finalised.
The onus will be on the social media companies to add age-verification tools themselves.
The ban involves the highest age limit set by any country, and does not include exemptions for those with parental consent.
There will be no penalties for parents or children who ignore the rules.
“This is a global problem and we want young Australians essentially to have a childhood,” Mr Albanese said last week.
“We want parents to have peace of mind.”
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the age limit would keep children and teens safe online.
“We know parents are concerned about the harms to children and we have taken a decision to support them,’ she told parliament.
“Keeping Australians safe online requires decisive action and the Albanese government is delivering exactly that.”
The bill passed the Senate by 34 votes to 19 late on Thursday.
It will now return to the House of Representatives - where the government has a majority meaning it is sure to pass - before becoming law.
Polling has shown that parents widely support the ban.
“For too long parents have had this impossible choice between giving in and getting their child an addictive device or seeing their child isolated and feeling left out,” Amy Friedlander, a mother of three from the Wait Mate movement, recently told the BBC.
“We’ve been trapped in a norm that no one wants to be a part of.”
The legislation comes after News Corp’s Let Them Be Kids campaign launched in May calling on politicians to back raising the minimum age of social media to 16 based on the advice of health, wellbeing, tech and psychology experts.
Mr Albanese told News Corp his government was proud to have delivered the “world leading result”.
“Social media is doing social harm to our children, and I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs,” the Prime Minister said.
“Platforms now have a social responsibility to ensure the safety of our kids is a priority for them.”
