Australia Moves To Ban FacebookInstagram TikTok Others For Children Under 16 Overrule Parental Consent

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced plans to ban social media for children under 16, citing concerns that it’s harming kids.

This bold move is part of a world-leading package of measures that could become law by the end of next year, Reuters reports.

The government is taking an approach to protect young minds, and it’s already testing an age-verification system to block underage access to social media platforms.

“Social media is doing harm to our kids and I’m calling time on it,” Albanese told a news conference.

Albanese cited the risks to physical and mental health of children from excessive social media use, in particular the risks to girls from harmful depictions of body image, and misogynist content aimed at boys.

“If you’re a 14-year-old kid getting this stuff, at a time where you’re going through life’s changes and maturing, it can be a really difficult time and what we’re doing is listening and then acting,” he said.

Australia is taking a bold step to curb social media use among children, with a policy that’s considered one of the most stringent globally.

Legislation will be introduced into the Australian parliament this year, with the laws coming into effect 12 months after being ratified by lawmakers, Albanese said.

The opposition Liberal Party has expressed support for a ban.

There will be no exemptions for children who have parental consent, or who already have accounts.

“The onus will be on social media platforms to demonstrate they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access,” Albanese said. “The onus won’t be on parents or young people.”

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said platforms impacted would include Meta Platforms’ Instagram and Facebook, as well as Bytedance’s TikTok and Elon Musk’s X. Alphabet’s YouTube would likely also fall within the scope of the legislation, she added.