Australia Becomes First Country to Ban Children Under 16 from Using Social Media
On Thursday, the Australian Senate passed a law that bans young children from using social media, making Australia the first country to implement such a rule. Social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, and Instagram could face fines of $33 million if they allow children under 16 to create accounts.
The Senate approved the bill with 34 votes in favor and 19 against, while the House of Representatives also supported it by a large majority of 102 votes to 13 on Wednesday.
Although the House still needs to approve some changes made by the Senate, this is expected to be a formality, as the government has already shown support for the amendments.
While the law has faced criticism from privacy advocates and some child rights groups, recent polls show that 77% of Australians support the ban. The country’s largest newspaper publisher, News Corp, has also backed the ban with a campaign called “Let Them Be Kids.”
However, the ban could cause tension between Australia and its ally, the United States. Elon Musk, the owner of X, suggested it might be a way to control internet access for Australians. YouTube is not included in the ban because it’s used in educational settings.
Social media companies involved in the law have asked for a delay until an age verification trial is finished. Sunita Bose, managing director of the Digital Industry Group, criticized the lack of clear guidelines from the Australian government about how services should implement the law.
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young from the Greens party also criticized the law, saying it’s an example of older generations trying to control how young people use the internet.
