Social media: Australian government plans strict ban on children under 16

A ban on the use of social media for young people has been under discussion in Australia for some time, but now the government has put the plan into concrete terms: it is planning a ban for people under the age of 16. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a press conference that social media is harmful to children and he wants to put an end to this.

The move is part of a package of measures that could come into force at the end of 2025. The draft does not provide for any exceptions: Australian young people under the age of 16 should not be allowed to use social networks, even with the permission of a parent or guardian. According to Communications Minister Micherlle Rowland, this will affect X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and most likely YouTube. Existing accounts will no longer be allowed to be used until the child reaches the age of sixteen.

Australia began testing various methods of age verification in May; according to Reuters, the platforms are to enforce the ban.

The opposition is in favor of the proposal. However, a spokeswoman for the Digital Industry Group, to which the operators of the aforementioned platforms belong, called the proposal "a 20th century answer to a 21st century problem." According to Reuters, she sees the danger that young people could explore "darker, unregulated corners of the internet" as a result of the ban.

Stricter than elsewhere

Other countries are also attempting to regulate young people's social media use by law. In the USA, for example, it has long been the case that tech companies are not allowed to collect data from children under the age of 13 without the explicit consent of their parents. For this reason, most social networks can only be used from the age of 13. In France, a ban on children under the age of 15 was passed in 2023, although this can be circumvented with the consent of a parent or guardian.

(kst)