Affecting mental, physical health: Australia to ban social media for children under 16

• Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday the government would legislate for a ban on social media for children under 16, a policy the government says is

Highlights:

• Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Thursday a plan to legislate a world-first ban on social media access for children under 16. The government aims to address growing concerns over the negative impacts of social media on youth.

Age Verification System in Development:

• Trial in Progress: Australia is trialing an age-verification system to enforce the ban effectively, aiming to prevent under-16s from accessing platforms.
• Timeline for Implementation: Legislation will be introduced this year, with a ban potentially coming into force by the end of next year.

Reasons for the Ban:

• Concerns for Youth Health: Albanese highlighted the harmful effects of social media on physical and mental health, especially regarding body image issues for girls and exposure to misogynistic content for boys.
• Impact on Adolescents: Albanese expressed that such content could be particularly damaging for 14-year-olds experiencing developmental changes.

Details of the Proposed Legislation:

• No Parental Consent Exemptions: The ban would not allow exemptions for parental consent or for children who already have social media accounts.
• Responsibility on Platforms: Social media platforms will be required to demonstrate reasonable measures to prevent access by underage users, shifting the burden from parents or children to the platforms.

Platforms Affected:

• Targeted Platforms: Major social media platforms, including Meta’s Instagram and Facebook, ByteDance’s TikTok, Elon Musk’s X, and likely Alphabet’s YouTube, are expected to fall under this legislation.
• Industry Response: TikTok declined to comment, and other companies did not respond.

Global Context:

• Comparison to Other Countries: Australia’s proposed legislation is one of the strictest globally. France has a similar law for those under 15 but allows exceptions with parental consent. The U.S. restricts data collection from users under 13, effectively banning younger children from using these platforms.

Prelims Takeaways

• Impacts of Social media on children