US EditionAustralia's world-first social media ban for under-16s comes into effect
Australia's law requires major platforms to block under-16s with fines up to $49.5 million AUD; some teens and rights groups challenge the ban in the High Court.
- 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.
467 Articles
467 Articles
German students have criticised Australia's decision to ban social media for minors under 16, saying the measure is wrong and not the right solution. According to them, education policy should not start with bans, but with educating and training young people to behave safely online. Quentin Gärtner from the National Student Conference in Germany stressed that young people need to be taught about the risks, how the platforms work and the impact o…
Conservative Review
The BlazeAustralia BANS key social media apps for kids under 16 — and platforms must enforce the rule
Australia will put the onus on social media platforms to limit access to children under 16 years old.The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 amended Australia's reigning online safety measures and gave social media companies time to age‐restrict their platforms and "take reasonable steps to prevent Australian under 16s from having account[s]."'No Australian will be compelled to use government identification.'Officially t…
Australia Bans Social Media For Children Under 16 in Sweeping First-of-Its-Kind National Crackdown
Australia has become the first country in the world to impose a nationwide ban blocking children under 16 from using major social media platforms, launching an aggressive new effort to curb the impact of online content on minors. The ban, which took effect at midnight, requires platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat to [...] The post Australia Bans Social Media For Children Under 16 in Sweeping First-of-Its-Kind National Crac…
Australia's Communications Minister backs under-16 social media ban
Australia's Communications Minister Anika Wells says a new law banning social media use by children under 16 is aimed at driving "cultural change." She spoke with NHK on December 1 in a suburb of Brisbane.
The Spectator World
Politics, Policy, Political NewsWill tech companies bend to Australia's social media ban?
It’s all too easy to get hooked by the online world, to fall headlong into it, to spend hour upon hour immersed in it. Cyberspace has its good uses, but it also has its bad ones. Staying in control of your social media life is difficult enough as an adult, but for children it can be an especially dangerous world in which to dwell. Too often children are glued to their phones and devices, staring, scrolling, disengaged from the world around them.…
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