Platforms related to online gaming, as well as educational and health assistance apps (such as Google Classroom and YouTube), will be allowed to be used.
Australia on November 28 approved a bill to ban social media for children under the age of 16, becoming the first country in the world to do so.
The law was passed by the Australian Senate on Thursday evening, with a vote of 34-19 after the country’s House of Representatives approved the first-of-its-kind legislation by 102 votes to 13 a day prior.
As per the newly approved legislation Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024, social media companies are liable for fines up to 50 million Australian dollars (Rs 275 crore approx.), if they fail to prevent children under the age of 16 from holding accounts on their platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, and X. However, the companies have described the legislation as “vague,” “problematic,” and “rushed.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday, “Platforms now have a social responsibility to ensure the safety of our kids is a priority for them”. The social media ban has been introduced to mitigate the physical and mental health risks faced by children due to excessive use of social media. It has also been rolled out in response to misogynist content and harmful depictions of body image shown to teenagers on these platforms.
Age verification is a big concern
Now that the law has been passed, focus is on the challenges in putting it into practice. The biggest concern regarding such bills is the verification of the user’s age. Currently, social media websites like Instagram require users to provide their date of birth and meet age criteria to create an account. However, companies do not verify whether this information is accurate or not. In some countries, social media companies are required to obtain government-issued identification as proof of age, but there have been serious privacy concerns regarding the sensitive personal data provided to these companies.
Australia leads the way
- The British government is also thinking of banning children under 16 from using social media, following Australia’s footsteps.
- Social media expert Susan Grantham told AFP that digital literacy programs teaching children to think “critically” about online content should be adopted, like Finland’s model.
- The legislation will be closely monitored by other countries, many of which are considering implementing similar bans.
- Lawmakers from Spain to Florida have proposed social media bans for young teens, though none of these measures have been implemented yet.
- Since 2021, China has restricted access for minors, with children under 14 allowed to spend no more than 40 minutes a day on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.
- China has also imposed restrictions on online gaming time for children.
Social media risks include deepfake, digital arrest, and online fraud
The use of social media for online fraud, digital arrest, and deepfake has been reported in India and many other nations. Last year in December, the Government of India also issued an advisory for social media platforms. It urged them to comply with the Information Technology (IT) rules concerning misinformation spread through deepfake and artificial intelligence.
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