Australia: Australia to ban social media for kids; in line with stand taken by India, EU, US

In an effort to protect children from online risks, Australia’s Communications Minister, Michelle Rowland introduced a bill in the Parliament, which is aimed at banning children below the age of 16 from accessing several social media platforms. This move, which is dubbed as a global first, will include fines of up to A$50 million ($33 million) for platforms which do not comply with the age restriction protocols, according to the Associated Press (AP).

Countries with similar reforms

Many countries have rolled out similar laws for the online well-being of children. India has laws like Digital Personal Data Protection or DPDP, which has posed restrictions in the way children can access the internet. Data collecting entities cannot process personal data, undertake tracking or behavioural monitoring or targeted advertising for children below the age of 18.

Earlier this year, ET had reported about the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which has a ban on targeted ads for children aged 17 and under. The European Commission had started an investigation into Facebook and Instagram over the concern that the algorithmic systems used by them could stimulate “addictive behaviour.”

Last year, France proposed a ban on social media for children under the age of 15 though unlike the proposed rule in Australia, users could get access with parental consent.

Decades earlier, the United States already had laws in place that required technology companies to seek parental consent to access the data of children under 13, which led to a lot of social media platforms getting banned for the said users.

Platforms under scrutinyThis proposal could hit Social media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, and Instagram. According to government research, approximately two-thirds of Australian children aged 14-17 have been exposed to inappropriate internet content.

“For too many young Australians, social media can be harmful,” Rowland said. “This is about protecting young people, not punishing or isolating them, and letting parents know that we’re in their corner when it comes to supporting their children’s health and wellbeing.”

Elon Musk on his X account described the move as “a backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians.”

Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, had announced during a news conference that legislation will be introduced in parliament this year, with the laws set to come into effect 12 months after being ratified by lawmakers, as reported by ET earlier this month. There will be no exemptions for users even with parental consent.