admin Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Thursday that the government will introduce legislation to ban social media access for children under 16, describing it as a groundbreaking move to protect youth.
“Social media is harming our kids, and I’m calling time on it,” Albanese said during a news conference.
The legislation is set to be presented in parliament later this year, with the law taking effect 12 months after approval. Notably, there will be no exceptions for children with parental consent.
Prime Minister Albanese stated that the responsibility would fall on social media platforms to prove they are taking reasonable steps to block access for under-16s. “The onus won’t be on parents or young people,” he emphasised.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland added that the legislation would cover major platforms like Meta’s Instagram and Facebook, ByteDance’s TikTok, Elon Musk’s X, and likely Alphabet’s YouTube. All impacted companies were unavailable for immediate comment.
While other nations have moved to limit social media access for minors, Australia’s policy stands out for its strictness. France, for instance, proposed a ban for those under 15 but allows access with parental consent. In the U.S., platforms must secure parental consent to collect data from children under 13, effectively barring them from accessing these services.
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