Sydney: The Australian government is considering banning the use of social media by children under the age of 16.
According to a foreign media report, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has vowed to ban the use of social media by children under the age of 16, saying that the impact of platforms like Facebook and TikTok has caused “real harm” to children. has been
Tech companies will be held responsible for enforcing the age limit, Albanese said, and face hefty fines if regulators find underage users flouting the limit.
“This is for parents, social media is doing real harm to children and I’m taking action to end it,” he told reporters outside Parliament alongside Communications Minister Michelle Rowland.
The Australian prime minister said the onus would be on social media platforms to show they had taken appropriate steps to prevent access, the onus would not be on parents or children to block, things that come up on my system that I Why should a sensitive 14-year-old see such things?
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said social media companies are repeatedly failing to meet their responsibilities, warning social media companies must ensure their practices are secure.
Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Elon Musk’s X will face financial penalties for violating the rules, Rowland said.
Australia is among the countries at the forefront of social media reform efforts, and its proposed age limit would be one of the world’s toughest for children.
The new rules, which will be introduced to parliament at the end of November after being presented to state and territory leaders this week, will give tech platforms a one-year grace period after the law is passed to implement the ban. Can devise ways of
Metta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has said it will “respect any age restrictions introduced by the government.”
Metta’s head of safety, Antigone Davies, says Australia should consider how to implement the bans, with TikTok saying they have nothing to say at this stage.
Some exceptions will be considered for platforms such as YouTube that youth may use for educational or other purposes.
Australia has stepped up efforts to regulate tech companies in recent years, but success has been limited.
The ‘Tackling Misinformation’ Bill was introduced earlier this year, which includes broad powers to fine tech companies for breaching their online security obligations.
Australia has also banned the sharing of so-called ‘deepfake’ pornography without consent, but Musk’s efforts to control content on X (formerly Twitter) have been embroiled in a protracted legal battle.
