EBN- Australia’s centre-left government on Thursday introduced a bill to parliament that would ban social media sites for children under 16.
The government has proposed fines of up to A$49.5 million ($32 million) for online platforms if they breach the law.
Australia is planning to trial an age verification system, which could include biometric data or government ID data, to enforce a minimum age for using social media platforms, in one of the strictest controls imposed by any country to date.
The proposed age limit is the highest set by any country, and there will be no exceptions by obtaining parental consent, nor an exemption for existing accounts.
“Historic reform”
“This is a historic reform,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement. “We know some children will find ways to get around it, but we are sending a message to it companies to improve.”
The opposition Liberal Party plans to support the bill, while independents and the Green Party have demanded more details on the proposed law, which would affect Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook and Instagram , ByteDance Inc.’s TikTok and billionaire Elon Musk ‘s X platform .
The Albanese-led Labour government says excessive use of social media poses risks to the physical and mental health of children, especially girls, through body-shaming and anti-female content directed at boys.
Several countries have already pledged to limit children’s use of social media through legislation, but Australia’s policy is one of the strictest.
France last year proposed banning social media sites for those under 15, but users could avoid the ban with parental consent.
The Australian law would force social media platforms, not parents or young people, to take reasonable steps to ensure age verification protections are in place.
