Australia bans children from social media – How sensible is this?
No social media for anyone under 16, the Australian parliament has decided. Critics include tech companies and child advocates.
(Image: Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock.com)
Now that a social media ban for all under 16-year-olds has been passed in Australia, it is not only the tech companies affected that are criticizing the development: child protection and human rights organizations are also questioning whether this step really promises effective protection.
The decision was fast-tracked through parliament – just a few weeks after the Australian government presented its draft. Important elements of the law, such as stricter requirements for the protection of user information, were only added at the last minute. The law is due to come into force in a year's time. The short message service X, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit and Instagram would be affected. YouTube, Discord and WhatsApp, on the other hand, are exempt. The results are to be evaluated in mid-2025.
Tech companies are not pleased
The Meta Group, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, expressed concern about the procedure in a statement. According to a Guardian report, the legislation was rushed through without adequately taking into account the industry's existing measures to ensure age-appropriate experiences and the voices of young people.
The tech billionaire and owner of the X platform (formerly Twitter), Elon Musk, sees the decision as an attempt to control all Australians' access to the internet, he wrote there.
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TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance Ltd, finds the legislation "rushed" and "unworkable", according to a Bloomberg report. It is riddled with "unanswered questions and unresolved concerns". Snapchat owner Snap Inc. recalled that previous international attempts at comprehensive and mandatory age verification had failed.
All of these services often face allegations of: Bullying, online fraud, or cyber-grooming – the attempt by potential sex offenders to form bonds with minors online – are just a few examples. There are also cases of suicide among young people whose mental health problems are attributed to social media use. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the effect of online networks on children as a "scourge". He emphasized that he wanted them to have a childhood. Social media, on the other hand, would "keep them away from real friends and real experiences".
UNICEF: Ban creates more risks
The child protection experts at UNICEF, on the other hand, think little of the general ban. There are good intentions behind this new legislative proposal, but a simple ban on access to social media does not eliminate the causes of online harm, but actually creates even more risks, emphasized Katie Maskiell from UNICEF Australia.
Children could quickly switch to hidden and unregulated online areas or use social media without their parents knowing about it. Open communication between parents and children is crucial to protect children from online risks.
Instead, UNICEF believes the technology sector and governments have a duty to change the way social media platforms are actually designed to truly protect children's safety and reduce harm.
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Amnesty International is also not enthusiastic about Australia's course. There is no doubt that the practices of social media platforms harm the rights of young people, but young people also have a right to express themselves and seek information online. Social media offers children and young people benefits such as inclusion, social contact and a sense of belonging, which can also promote their mental health, said Nikita White from Amnesty International in Australia.
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Initially, a one-year trial phase will run in which the platforms concerned will test age verification systems. The results are to be evaluated in mid-2025. In no other democratic country in the world are the new requirements as strict as in Australia. England is also planning an age limit of 16 for the use of social media. 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. Florida was the first US state to ban all under-14s from social media. Some other US states only allow use with the consent of a parent or guardian.
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