Australia becomes the first country in the world to ban the use of social media by children under 16, after the law approved by Parliament and proposed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese came into force.
With the aim of improving the psychological and social well-being of minors, the Australia thus became the first country to ban children under 16 from accessing social networks, affecting at least ten social media and streaming platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, X, Reddit, Twitch and Kick.
However, the law does not prevent children under 16 from accessing without being registered, nor does it mention sanctions for those over 16 that help younger people access the affected platforms. The Chamber of Deputies (lower house) approved the legislative text ruling out punishments for users or parents of minors and placing the focus on companies as responsible for complying with this new age limit.
Parents help to break the rules: “I fear that I will be excluded at school or in the group of friends”
To the newspaper “The Guardian”the father of a 15-year-old child said that the young woman was very “distressed” because all her friends, of the same age, “had their age verified as 18 on Snapchat” and she did not. Parents fear that the young woman will be excluded at school and from her group of friends because she is unable to use social media.
Another father even said that he was “forced” to teach his daughter how “VPN to bypass age restrictions” works. “I will continue to do this whenever the application asks for verification,” he added.
Albanese defended on Sunday that the measure, a “worldwide pioneering initiative”, will be “one of the biggest social and cultural changes” in the country and will become “a source of national pride in the years to come.”
“Australia sets the legal drinking age at 18 because our society recognizes the benefits this approach offers to both the individual and the community. The fact that teenagers find ways to drink occasionally does not diminish the importance of having clear national regulations“, he stated in a statement published by his office.
The Australian Prime Minister argued that thanks to the ban, “children will have more time to be children and parents will have more peace of mind.”
“This law aims to facilitate conversations with your children about the risks and harms of using the Internet,” he said. The ban came into force at 00:00 on Wednesday, December 10 (local time in Australia, 13:00 in Lisbon).
The text specifies that the ten companies mentioned must take “reasonable measures” to prevent children under 16 from having an active account on any of these platforms and details that, if these restrictions are not complied with, they could face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (around 28.6 million euros).
Some companies criticize the measure and describe it as a rushed process, warning that if users are forced to prove their age, digital platforms will have access to very valuable personal data. Furthermore, the platforms criticize being fined based on a law that does not present details, nor specifically regulate any of the aspects it requires.
The Australian Senate (upper house) approved the measure at the end of November.