According to the BBC, Australia’s government intends to introduce “world-leading” legislation to ban children under 16 from social media. Given the ever-increasing reliance of the Toy industry and other sectors on social media presence and influencers, the progress of this may well be looked on with interest.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the proposed laws, to be tabled in parliament next week, were aimed at mitigating the “harm” social media was inflicting on Australian children.
The Australian Prime Minister said: “This one is for the mums and dads. They, like me, are worried sick about the safety of our kids online. I want Australian families to know that the government has your back.”
While many of the details are yet to be debated, the government said the ban would apply to young people already on social media. There will be no exemptions on the age limit for children who have consent from their parents. The government says that the onus would be on social media platforms to show they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access.
Albanese said there would be no penalties for users, and that it would be up to Australia’s online regulator – the eSafety Commissioner – to enforce the laws.
The legislation would come into force 12 months after it passes and be subject to a review after it’s in place.
While a lot of experts agree that social media platforms can harm the mental health of adolescents, many are sceptical over the efficacy of trying to outlaw them all together.
Some researchers argue that bans only delay young people’s exposure to apps such as TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, instead of teaching them how to navigate complex online spaces.
Previous attemptsat restricting access, including by the European Union, have largely failed or faced backlash from tech firms. And questions remain over how implementation would work given there are tools which can circumvent age-verification requirements.
