Australia plans to ban social media for under-16s

A bill with new regulations will be presented to the leaders of Australia’s states and territories, and will then be submitted to Parliament at the end of November. The objective is to prohibit the use of social networks by children under 16 years of age. According to the country’s prime minister, Antthony Albanesethe package of new measures could become law at the end of 2025.

Prime Minister talks about protecting young people’s mental health

In a press conference this Thursday (7), Albanese stated that social media is harming children and teenagers. ““Social media is harming our children and I’m putting a stop to it,” the Prime Minister said, adding that the risks to children’s mental health stem from excessive use of social media.

To endorse his argument, Albanesse mentioned the effect of algorithms on 14-year-olds. “For me, there are things that stand out on these platforms that I don’t necessarily want to see. We are no longer talking [apenas] of a vulnerable 14 year old teenager. Young women are seeing images of specific body shapes that have a real impact.”

With the new law, platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, X and Instagram will have to implement age limits, blocking access to children under 16. If they do not comply, they may have to face large fines. The maintenance and applicability of the law will be the responsibility of the eSafety Commissioner, the internet regulatory body in Australia.

The Prime Minister also mentions that some cases will need to be analyzed even more carefully, such as YouTube, as many young students use the platform to support their studies. “We believe there will, of course, be some exclusions and exemptions for this as well, to ensure there are no unintended consequences.”said the Prime Minister.

Albanese also emphasized that there will be no sanctions for users who manage to access even with the new set of restrictions in place, the responsibility will fall entirely on the platforms. In addition to the Liberal Party of Australia, the Digital Industry Group (DIGI), a body that represents Alphabet’s Meta, TikTok, X and Google, took a stance against the bill.

Criticism of the project

“Keeping young people safe online is a top priority… but the proposed ban on teenagers’ access to digital platforms is a 20th Century response to 21st Century challenges,” said Sunita Bose, managing director, DIGI. “Rather than blocking access through bans, we need to take a balanced approach to creating age-appropriate spaces, developing digital literacy and protecting young people from harm online,” he added.