On Thursday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced plans to introduce legislation banning children under 16 from using social media, describing the policy as a world-leading initiative.
“Social media is harming our kids, and it’s time to stop it,” Albanese stated.
He mentioned that the legislation would be presented to parliament within the year and implemented 12 months after approval, with no exceptions for parental consent.
“The responsibility will lie with the social media companies to ensure they effectively block underage access, not parents or youth,” emphasized Albanese.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland specified that the ban would affect platforms like Meta Platforms’ Instagram and Facebook, Bytedance’s TikTok, Elon Musk’s X, and likely Alphabet’s YouTube.
Attempts to reach the four companies for comment were unsuccessful.
While several nations have introduced measures to limit social media use among youth, Australia’s approach is among the strictest. France, for example, proposed a similar ban for those under 15 last year but allowed exceptions with parental consent.
In the United States, federal law has long required tech companies to obtain parental consent for users under 13, prompting many social media platforms to prohibit access to this age group.
