The Australian Prime Minister, H.E. Anthony Albanese, announced on Thursday that his government is working on a legislation to ban children under 16, from using social media. This initiative is part of a broader package of “world-leading” measures aimed at protecting children’s public health.
In a significant move, Albanese stated at a news conference that Social media is harming children, and to put an end to this, highlighting the risks to children’s physical and mental health from excessive social media use.
The Australian PM also stated that a legislation would be introduced to the Australian parliament this year, with the laws set to come into effect 12 months after being ratified by lawmakers. The PM emphasized that the responsibility would lie with social media platforms, especially to demonstrate they are taking appropriate steps to block access, rather than placing the burden on parents or young people.
In a similar context, the Australian Communications Minister, Michelle Rowland, stated that, what they are announcing here and what they will legislate will be truly world-leading, explaining that the legislation would be applicable to some of the widely-used social media platforms such as; Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, and YouTube.
As a concrete step, Rowland affirmed that Australia is trialing an age verification system to prevent children from accessing social media platforms, as part of strict measures and controls. This policy is among the strictest in the world on the issue.
