The Australian government on Thursday announced plans to impose a ban on social media usage in children under the age of 16 as part of what it calls a "world-leading" legislation.
Under the proposed legislation, social media companies will be made responsible for imposing the ban and will face sizable penalties if they breach the age limit and allow children younger than 16 to access their platforms. That said, users and parents who do not follow the law will not be fined.
"Social media is doing harm to our kids and I'm calling time on it. I've spoken to thousands of parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles. They, like me, are worried sick about the safety of our kids online," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement.
"I want Australian parents and families to know that the Government has your back," he added.
Legislation Details
Much of the details of the proposed ban are still unclear. However, Albanese noted that the legislation will be introduced in Parliament in its final two weeks of session this year. That will begin on Nov. 18.
Should the law pass the Parliament, the ban will take effect after 12 months to give social media companies such as Facebook and TikTok time to work out how they could exclude Australian children under the age of 16 from their platforms, per AP News.
Additionally, Albanese said the proposed legislation would not allow any exemptions for children whose parents gave consent to their use of social media. Children under 16 who already have existing social media accounts would also not be exempted.
That said, the bill would allow exemptions in circumstances where social media is needed to continue access to educational services.
Response to the Proposed Ban
Last month, over 140 Australian and international academics signed an open letter to Albanese, in which they opposed a social media age limit and said the legislation is "too blunt an instrument" to effectively address the risks of social media usage in kids.
Jackie Hallan, Director at ReachOut---a youth mental health service, also opposed the ban, noting that more than 70% of Australian youth use social media to access mental health support.
