Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced plans Wednesday to ban social media for children under 16, saying “social media is harming our children” and “the need of the hour”.
The proposed bill is expected to be submitted to Congress this year and would take effect a year after lawmakers ratify it, Albanese said. He added that there would be no exemption for parental consent. This means that platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X and YouTube will be responsible for preventing access by children, according to a Reuters report.
Australia’s approach is the most stringent globally, but many other countries are moving in the same direction. Last month, Norway’s prime minister said the country would limit the age of social media use to 13 to 15 years old and called for a more aggressive campaign against profit-driven technology companies that “compete with the brains of young children.”
