Australia is set to introduce new legislation aimed at banning children from using popular social media platforms like Elon Musk’s X, Mark Zuckerberg‘s Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META)-owned Instagram and Facebook, and Bytedance‘s TikTok. The move is driven by growing concerns over the potential health risks associated with social media use among minors.
What Happened: Australia announced plans on Tuesday to introduce a law this year to prohibit children from using social media platforms, citing potential health risks, reported Reuters.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that his center-left government will initiate an age verification trial in the upcoming months. Albanese emphasized the importance of children engaging in real-world activities over virtual interactions, as he believes social media contributes to social harm.
Albanese mentioned that the age limits for the proposed ban are still under consideration, specifically targeting the range between 14 and 16 years old. He expressed concerns over cyberbullying and the ease with which children can access harmful content online.
This initiative follows a request in July by Australia’s eSafety regulator for internet companies to create an enforceable code to prevent children from viewing inappropriate material. Failure to comply could result in the imposition of a mandatory code.
Albanese acknowledged the global nature of the issue, noting that various countries are grappling with similar challenges. He remarked, “This is a global issue that governments around the globe are trying to deal with … we know that it’s not simple and it’s not easy, otherwise governments would have responded before.”
Why It Matters: The proposed ban on children using social media in Australia comes amid increasing scrutiny of social media platforms. In June, Prime Minister Albanese criticized Meta Platforms Inc. for its “arrogant and irresponsible” behavior, urging the company to continue paying local media organizations for their content.
This criticism followed Meta’s warning that it might block news content in Australia if forced to pay licensing fees.
Earlier in June, Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, won a legal battle against the Australian government, which had sought to remove footage of a church stabbing in Sydney. Musk emphasized the importance of “freedom of speech” following the case’s dismissal.
In May, the Australian government announced a parliamentary inquiry into the operations of major social media platforms, including Meta’s Facebook, Musk’s X, and TikTok, aiming to hold these platforms accountable for their decisions.
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This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Kaustubh Bagalkote
