Australia has taken a decisive step to restrict social media access of children below the age of 16.
The minors will be blocked from platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook, in a move that the government believes is aimed at protecting their mental health.
According to Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, the new law will protect kids from harmful social media content.
“I’ve met parents who’ve had to bury their children as a result of the impact that social media has had, as a result of bullying.
We need to do something about it,” explained Albanese.
The law, which is expected to come into effect in 2025, will also apply to underaged users who already have accounts in those platforms.
It also indicates that tech companies who do not prevent under-age access of social media services will face fines of close to 50 million Australian dollars.
Earlier this year, CEOs of social media companies comprising Meta, X and TikTok amongst others, appeared before a US Senate Judiciary Committee to testify, following growing concerns of the effects of social media on young people.
Some of the complaints raised was cyberbullying, suicide, eating disorders, unrealistic beauty standards, addiction, and child pornography, which all attributed to the exposure of minors to the digital social spaces.
During the hearing, US Lawmakers sought to hold tech bosses accountable and requested more information on interventions put in place to protect young users from harm.
One of the highlights that went viral from the proceedings was a public apology from Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg.
Despite his apology, the prevalence of abuse, privacy violation and racism, remain high on the platforms.
Meanwhile, Australia’s bold move continues to face both criticism and praise, sparking a debate on whether more countries will pursue the same security measure or not.
The consultations on the law are set to conclude 14 February 2025 and will be followed by more discussion to prepare the draft legislation.
