On Thursday, Australian lawmakers approved one of the strictest crackdowns on popular websites like Facebook, Instagram, and X in the world by passing historic legislation banning under-16s from social media.
Social media companies will soon be required to take “reasonable steps” to prevent young kids from having accounts, as the bill has already passed both parliamentary houses with bipartisan backing.
The companies have called the legislation “vague,” “problematic,” and “rushed.” Failure to comply could result in fines of up to Aus$50 million (US$32.5 million).
The bill was approved by the Senate late Thursday night after passing the lower house of parliament on Wednesday. It will almost certainly become legislation now.
Left-center Aiming for an election early next year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has fervently supported the new regulations and mobilised Australian parents to support them.
He portrayed social media as “a platform for peer pressure, a driver of anxiety, a vehicle for scammers, and, worst of all, a tool for online predators” in the lead-up to the election.
“Off their phones and onto the football and cricket pitch, the tennis and netball courts, in the swimming pool,” he declared, was what he wanted from young Australians.
Elsie Arkinstall, 11, stated that social media still has a place, especially for kids who like to watch painting or culinary tutorials, which are frequently posted on social media. “Kids and teens should be able to explore those techniques because you can’t learn all those things from books,” she added.
The prohibition appears to be among the most stringent in the world. Experts worry that the current legislation will only be a symbolic piece of unenforceable legislation because it provides very little information on how the rules will be implemented.
Regulators will need to hammer out the specifics for at least a year before the prohibition takes effect. Some businesses, like YouTube and WhatsApp, which teens could need for leisure, schoolwork, or other purposes, will probably be given an exemption. To guarantee that digital identification issued by the government cannot be used to verify an individual’s age, late adjustments were submitted.
Digital literacy programs that teach kids to think “critically” about what they see online should be implemented, according to social media expert Susan Grantham. This is comparable to a concept that is employed in Finland.
Other nations will keep a close eye on the legislation, with many considering enacting similar prohibitions. Young teen social media bans have been proposed by lawmakers from Florida to Spain, but none of the policies have been put into effect as of yet.
Since 2021, China has prohibited minors from using Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of TikTok, for more than 40 minutes per day. In China, children’s online gaming time is likewise restricted.
