The Australian government has proposed legislation to ban children under 16 from using social media as soon as next year.
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Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the legislation is aimed at protecting minors from the harmful effects of social media.
“Social media is doing harm to our kids, and I’m calling time on it,” he said. “I’ve spoken to thousands of parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles, and they are all worried sick about the safety of their kids online. And I want Australian parents and families to know that the government has your back.”
Mr Albanese said the world-leading legislation would be implemented 12 months after passage, and social media platforms, not parents or their children, bear the responsibility of preventing access.
“The government’s proposed age is 16. That decision was made in cabinet on Monday, and that proposal would go to the national cabinet meeting that I’m convening online, virtually tomorrow morning.
“The onus would be on social media platforms to demonstrate that they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access. The onus won’t be on parents or young people,” he said.
Mr Albanese stated that while users will not be penalised, the E-Safety commissioner, Australia’s independent regulator for online safety, will provide oversight and enforcement.
“The legislation would come into force 12 months after passage. There would be a review of the legislation following its commencement. This is a world-leading legislation; we want to make sure that it is got right,” he added.
While Australia’s age restriction for social media use is considered the highest in the world, countries like the UK, France, Belgium, and Spain have also limited children’s use of social media platforms like X, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said while social media offers opportunities for young people to connect, its content is sometimes detrimental and could cause addictive behaviour.
Ms Rowland said the Australian government decided on the age limit after careful consideration and consultation with parents, advocacy groups, experts and other stakeholders.
“We know that social media offers many benefits to Australians, including young people, as a way of keeping connected and finding their tribe and making sure that young people who may otherwise be isolated by geography or other factors have that connection, but we also know that it brings many harms,” she said.
The communications minister stated that social media platforms are responsible for protecting minors from the dangers of social media use, however, these platforms fall short of their duties.
In September, Australia proposed legislation to fine social media platforms up to 5 per cent of their revenue for enabling misinformation and enforced tech platforms to set up internal regulations to prevent the spread of misinformation.
However, Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X, kicked against the move, labelling the Australian government as “fascists”.
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