Australia has become the first country to ban social media access for children under 16, starting from midnight. This ruling blocks platforms including TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube, and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook.
Ten of the largest platforms were ordered to block children from midnight on Wednesday (1300 GMT on Tuesday) or face fines up to A$49.5 million ($33 million) under the new law. The law drew criticism from major technology companies and free speech advocates but was
welcomed by parents and child advocates. The ban is being closely watched by other countries considering similar age-based measures due to increasing concerns about social media's impact on children’s health and safety.
In a video message Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the ban aimed to support young Australians and ease the pressure from endless feeds and algorithms. He encouraged students to use the upcoming school holidays to engage in new activities like sports, learning an instrument, or reading, and importantly, to spend quality time with friends and family face to face.
This rollout concludes a year of speculation about whether a country can block children from using technology embedded in modern life. It also starts a live experiment that will be studied globally by lawmakers frustrated by a tech industry they say is too slow to implement harm-reduction measures. Tama Leaver a professor of internet studies at Curtin University noted that while Australia is the first, it is unlikely to be the last to adopt such restrictions. He called the Australian social media ban the canary in the coal mine. Governments from Denmark to Malaysia and even some U.S. states plan similar steps, four years after a leak of internal Meta documents alleged the company knew its products contributed to body image problems among teenagers. Meta has said it has tools to protect children.
The ban initially covers ten platforms. The government stated this list will change as new products emerge and young users switch to alternatives. Of the initial ten platforms all but Elon Musk's X have stated they will comply using age inference guessing a person's age from online activity or age estimation usually based on a selfie. They might also check uploaded identification documents or linked bank account details.
Found this article interesting? Follow us on X(Twitter) ,Threads and FaceBook to read more exclusive content we post.
