Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Australia is at the cusp of passing legislation that will ban social media for children under 16.
- All state and territory leaders of the country have already signed off on the plan for age restrictions.
- Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, wants app stores to monitor age restrictions instead of social media platforms.
The rise of toxicity on social media and the lack of proper safety regulations have pushed Australia, a major American ally, to ban social media for children under 16 years of age. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the “world-leading” legislation will be tabled in the Australian parliament next week. All state and territory leaders have already signed off on the plan for age restrictions.
“This one is for the mums and dads. They, like me, are worried sick about the safety of our kids online. I want Australian families to know that the government has your back,” he said, as per the BBC.
Should social media use have age restrictions?
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Details are scarce about how Australia plans to impose the social media ban on under-16s, but the government has confirmed that it will apply to young people and teens who are already on social platforms. Parental consent will also not matter as the legislation will make no exceptions.
Moreover, social media companies will need to ensure compliance and prevent underage users from accessing their platforms.
Australia’s legislation will become effective 12 months after it goes into effect. That should give social media companies enough time to implement age-appropriate restrictions. However, Meta, owner of Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms, says it should be the responsibility of app store operators like Apple and Google to police the social media usage of young people.
“The challenge is that the technology isn’t quite there yet in terms of having a perfect solution,” Mia Garlick, Meta’s Regional Policy Director for Australia, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Friday (via Bloomberg). She added that it would be more appropriate for app operators to have age restrictions on their platforms rather than social media companies.
“If every single app is required to implement its own age-appropriate controls, then the burden really is going to fall on young people and parents for each of the different apps that a young person wants to use,” she said.
What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you think it’s fair to restrict social media for under-16s? Take our poll above and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
