Australia Passes Social Media Ban Law For Kids Under 16

The Social Media Minimum Age Bill in Australia is a test case of whether it will work as other countries explore restricting the use of social media for young kids

Australia has officially approved a law banning children under 16 from using or logging on to social media. The announcement was made on Thursday, November 28, at the Australian Parliament.

The Social Media Minimum Age Bill will serve as a test case. Tech companies found violating the law, which is fully enforced by next year face fines of A$49.5 million for non-compliance.

The bill also tests the Australian government’s relationship with tech giants in the U.S. Reuters reported that a spokesperson for Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, said they respect the law but are concerned about the process of enforcing it.

Some other members of the tech giants have argued that the legislation be postponed until they do an age trial test.

Sunita Bose, managing director of Digital Industry Group told Reuters: ” “We have the bill but we don’t have guidance from the Australian government around what are the right methods that a whole host of services subject to this law will need to employ.”

Divided thoughts

Although some have praised the decision, youth sectors and people from the academic expressed concern that the ban could curtail expressions from vulnerable groups. Privacy advocates on the other hand warned that it was clearing the path for digital identification-based state surveillance.

Parent groups on the other hand welcomed the intervention, pointing to comments made by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in 2023, warning that social media has played a big influence on children’s mental health.

Although other countries have passed similar legislation, Australia’s law is the first to do an absolute ban.

If the law succeeds, it could be a pattern for other countries, who have been looking for ways to minimize or restrict young kids’ use of social media, saying it has affected their overall growth and mental health.

The importance of guidance

Although a law has been passed, parental guidance is crucial. Parents still need to be attentive to their kids’ screen time. It remains to be seen how this will be enforced by Australian families, but one thing is for sure – the world will be watching how this will play out.

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