By Abigail Philip David
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Thursday a new push to ban children under 16 from social media, citing concerns that platforms like Facebook and TikTok are causing “real harm” to young people.
Under the proposal, tech companies would be required to enforce the age restriction, facing substantial fines if regulators find underage users accessing their platforms. Australia’s proposed age limit would be one of the strictest in the world aimed at protecting children online.
“This is for parents everywhere. Social media is causing harm to kids, and it’s time to act,” Albanese said outside parliament. The proposal will be reviewed by state and territory leaders this week, with plans to introduce it to parliament by late November. If passed, social media platforms will have a year to implement the necessary age verification measures.
“The responsibility will be on social media companies to prove they’re preventing access, not on parents or young users,” Albanese added, calling it a “world-leading” measure.
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, voiced willingness to comply with any new age restrictions but cautioned that Australia should carefully consider the execution of the ban. Meta’s Head of Safety, Antigone Davis, warned that poorly crafted laws could give a false sense of security without actually improving conditions for teens and parents.
DIGI, a tech industry body, also cautioned that restricting access could limit young people from accessing “mental health support,” with a spokesperson adding, “We don’t ban young people from swimming; instead, we teach them to swim safely.”
Social media platforms have faced increasing scrutiny for their roles in cyberbullying, spreading illegal content, and affecting users’ mental health. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland criticized companies like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for “falling short” in protecting young users, emphasizing that they would face financial penalties if they fail to comply. Rowland suggested that current fines, around US$600,000 (AU$1 million), may not be sufficient for companies with annual revenues in the billions.
Analysts, however, have raised concerns about the feasibility of enforcing such a ban. University of Melbourne researcher Toby Murray noted that current age verification methods are “unreliable and easy to bypass.”
Australia’s move follows similar efforts worldwide. Spain recently set a social media age limit at 16, while Florida has passed a law banning social media access for children under 14 starting in January. France’s 2023 laws require platforms to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent for those under 15. Since 2021, China has restricted minors’ access to social media and limited online gaming time.
Australia has also introduced other tech regulations, such as a “combating misinformation” bill and a ban on non-consensual “deepfake” pornography, though efforts to regulate content on Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) have led to a lengthy legal battle, with Musk accusing the government of acting like “fascists.”
