The Australian government, led by its centre-left coalition, introduced a bill in parliament on Thursday aimed at prohibiting access to social media for individuals under the age of 16. The legislation proposes hefty penalties, reaching up to A$49.5 million (approximately $32 million or Rs. 270 crore), for platforms that fail to comply with this rule.
As part of this initiative, Australia is set to trial an age-verification system, which may involve biometric data or government-issued identification. This marks one of the most stringent approaches to regulating social media usage among minors that any country has implemented to date.
The proposed age restrictions represent the highest limitations imposed globally, without allowances for parental consent or exceptions for existing accounts.
“This is a landmark reform. We know some kids will find workarounds, but we’re sending a message to social media companies to clean up their act,” stated Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a formal announcement.
The opposition Liberal party has indicated its support for the bill, although independent lawmakers and representatives from the Green party are seeking further clarification on the legislation, which would impact platforms including Meta’s Instagram and Facebook, ByteDance’s TikTok, Elon Musk’s X, and Snapchat.
Despite the restrictions, Albanese emphasized that children would still have access to essential services such as messaging, online gaming, and educational resources. Platforms like youth mental health service Headspace, as well as Google Classroom and YouTube, will remain accessible.
The Labor government, under Albanese, has been vocal about the detrimental effects of excessive social media use on children’s physical and mental health, particularly highlighting the risks of harmful body image portrayals for girls and misogynistic content directed at boys.
Though several countries have pledged to reduce social media access for young users through legislative measures, Australia’s proposed framework stands out for its rigorous nature.
Last year, France suggested prohibiting social media for children under 15; however, the ban allowed for parental consent, enabling users to circumvent the restrictions. In the U.S., regulations have mandated that technology companies obtain parental consent before collecting data from children under 13 for decades.
“For too many young Australians, social media can be harmful. Almost two-thirds of Australians aged 14 to 17 have encountered extremely harmful content online, including instances related to drug abuse, suicide, or self-harm,” Communications Minister Michelle Rowland reported to parliament on Thursday.
The proposed legislation will place the onus on social media platforms, rather than parents or minors, to implement adequate age-verification measures.
Additionally, the law is set to include stringent privacy provisions, mandating platforms to eliminate any personal data collected to protect user privacy, as noted by Rowland.
“Social media has a social responsibility, which is why we are enacting significant changes to hold platforms accountable for user safety,” Rowland asserted.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
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