- विज्ञापन -
Canberra: The Australian government plans to prohibit children younger than 16 from accessing social media platforms, as proposed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
During a press conference on Thursday, Albanese and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland announced their commitment to legislate a minimum age requirement of 16 for social media use. Previously, the Prime Minister had signaled intentions to introduce such legislation by the end of 2024 but had not specified an exact age limit until now.
Albanese emphasized the need for this legislation, stating, “Social media is doing harm to our kids, and I’m calling time on it.” He expressed deep concern over the negative impacts of social media on children and highlighted the potential consequences.
The proposed legislation would hold online platforms accountable for ensuring compliance with the age limit, imposing penalties on those that fail to restrict access to underage users. However, children under 16 who access social media, as well as their parents or guardians, will not face any penalties.
This ban is set to take effect 12 months after the legislation is passed and will be enforced by the government’s Safety Commissioner. Albanese described the initiative as “world-leading” and indicated that there would be provisions for certain exemptions to avoid unintended consequences.
The Prime Minister plans to discuss this proposal with state and territory leaders in a special meeting on Friday. The federal budget for 2024-25 also includes funding to trial age-assurance technology, which will help shape the implementation of the new age limit.
Earlier in 2024, the federal opposition Coalition expressed its support for a minimum age of 16, which, combined with the Labor Party’s backing, would provide sufficient votes to pass the legislation in both houses of parliament.
