Australia will limit social media for children!
Sydney, Australia, Nov 7 (EFE).-
Australia announced Thursday that it is seeking to limit access to social media for children under 16 with a legislative proposal to mitigate mental health problems in young people.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who had already announced in September his intention to limit children’s access to social media and other digital platforms, revealed that the minimum age would be 16 years.
“Now the Government’s proposed age is 16 – that decision was made in Cabinet on Monday,” Albanese announced at a press conference in Canberra.
“I want Australian parents and families to know that the Government has your back. I want parents to be able to say, ‘sorry mate, it’s against the law for me to get you to do this,’” he added.
“Social media is doing harm to our kids and I’m calling time on it,” Albanese said, comparing the proposal with other legal measures such as laws that prohibit those under 18 years from buying alcohol.
The bill, which could reach parliament in the coming weeks and would come into force 12 months after being approved, will not exclude children under 16 who already have accounts on social networks or those who have parental consent.
The prime minister clarified that no penalties would be imposed on users or parents and “the onus will be on social media platforms to demonstrate they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access.”
“The eSafety Commissioner will issue regulatory guidance setting out what reasonable steps can be taken by platforms and that will be informed by the age assurance trial,” he added.
The legislation could affect social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X and YouTube although exceptions could be made for platforms considered “low risk”. EFE
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