US EditionAustralia's world-first social media ban for under-16s comes into effect
- On Wednesday, Australia implemented a world-first law banning under-16s from holding social media accounts, deactivating more than 1 million accounts across 10 platforms including Facebook and TikTok.
- Citing child welfare concerns, Australian officials argued the law aims to protect children, with the Australian federal parliament passing the bill in last year, following a study on social media use.
- Under the law, platforms must take `reasonable steps` to block under-16s, face fines up to 49.5 million Australian dollars, and Meta will start closing accounts on Dec. 4.
- Two 15-year-olds have mounted a High Court challenge arguing the law robs 2.6 million young Australians of an implied freedom, while Communications Minister Anika Wells said the government will defend the measure and not be intimidated.
- Tech companies say the ban could drive users to darker corners of the internet, platforms warn young users may turn to unregulated apps or VPNs, polling shows 73 percent support but only 26 percent confidence, and other countries are watching.
392 Articles
392 Articles
Australia acts, Germany still discusses: How politicians in this country see possible measures against the social media use of children and teenagers.
No more social media under 16 years of age. Australia starts, other countries want to join. But the question remains: What problem did you want to solve again?
As of December 10, many teenagers will no longer be able to use platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. Tech companies will have to check the age of users to remove their under-16 accounts
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Australia’s teen social media ban is in effect
Australian teens now have what amounts to a very expensive calculator as the first nationwide ban on social media for users under the age of 16 took effect there on Wednesday. After a year of wondering if Aussie officials would go through with it, social media companies will now have to shut down…
Elon Musk's social network X said Wednesday it would comply with Australia's ban on social media for those under 16.
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