Australia is expected to ban social media use for people under 16
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that he will move to pass new laws banning the use of social media by children under the age of 16, and has vowed to crack down on technology companies that do not protect young users. While Albanese has previously discussed cracking down on young people's use of social media, this is the first time he has specified an age limit.
Social media ban for children under 16
Labor backs 16 as the minimum age to use social media ahead of national cabinet meeting - ABC News
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-07/labor-backs-social-media-age-minimum-16-years/104571186
Is Australia setting itself up to fail with teen social media ban? | SBS News
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/is-australia-setting-itself-up-to-fail-with-teen-social-media-ban/88sy53iv0
The new law being pushed forward by Premier Albanese would completely ban children under the age of 16 from using social media, and would apply to everyone, even those who are already using social media, even if they had parental consent.
At a press conference, Prime Minister Albanese said, 'We plan to hold social media companies accountable, and children and their parents will not be punished for breaking the law.' However, details such as how exactly children's access will be blocked and how violating companies will be punished were not disclosed. Prime Minister Albanese plans to seek agreement on the age of 16 at a cabinet meeting to be held at a later date, and plans to enact the law as early as 2025.
The plan to ban social media use by people under the age of 16 was announced in September 2024 and was supported by many people from both the ruling and opposition parties. Even Peter Dutton, leader of the largest opposition Liberal Party, promised to introduce a ban within 100 days if he won the next federal election. Liberal Party spokesman David Coleman welcomed the move, saying, 'We will check that this law is strong and has no loopholes. We want to protect Australian children with the law and do something about the platforms that we have long been concerned about.'
On the other hand, there are also concerns that 'children's voices are not being listened to' and 'children will no longer have access to the information they need.'
'Online activity is incredibly difficult to police and the government's approach of banning ignores the need for a tailored approach to media literacy education and the appropriate use of digital technologies,' said Daniel Angus, director of the Centre for Digital Media Studies at Queensland University of Technology. 'He believes Albanese's policy is wrong.'
Senator Tammy Tyrrell said: 'Banning is not the solution. It doesn't stop kids from accessing social media, and it doesn't actually solve the problems kids face online. It's just a feel-good policy for older generations without listening to the kids who are actually affected.'
A ban isn't the answer. It's not going to stop kids accessing social platforms and it doesn't actually address the problems young people are facing online.
— Tammy Tyrrell (@TammyTyrrell_) November 7, 2024
It's a feel-good moment for the older generations without asking the people affected what's best for them.
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