Australian lawmakers have passed legislation banning children under the age of 16 from using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. The new law, aimed at safeguarding children’s mental health, will take effect in 12 months and requires social media companies to implement measures preventing underage users from creating accounts.
Key Points of the Law:
• Platforms must take “reasonable steps” to enforce age restrictions, with fines of up to $50 million AUS ($32.4 million US) for non-compliance.
• Children and parents will not face penalties for violations; enforcement responsibility lies solely with the platforms.
• Exemptions apply to educational sites, such as YouTube, and messaging apps like WhatsApp.
• No government-issued IDs are required for age verification.
Support and Criticism:
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated the law aims to protect children’s mental well-being and encourage social media platforms to “clean up their act.” A YouGov survey showed 77% of Australians back the legislation.
However, tech companies have raised concerns. Meta criticized the rules as “inconsistent and ineffective,” and Elon Musk called it a potential “backdoor way to control access to the Internet by all Australians.”
Australia joins a growing list of governments, including Norway and Florida, exploring stricter age limits for social media use.
News Source:theverge，This article does not represent our position.
