A groundbreaking bill proposing a nationwide ban on social media for children under 16 was introduced to the Australian Parliament on Thursday by the communications minister. This initiative prioritizes online child safety, a significant concern for parents.
Platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, and Instagram could face substantial fines—up to AU$50 million (US$33 million)—for failing to prevent underage account creation.
The minister emphasized the bill’s aim to establish a new social norm where social media access isn’t a defining aspect of childhood in Australia.
She highlighted the urgent need for intervention to shield young people from the unfiltered and extensive content prevalent online.
The bill enjoys broad political support and will grant platforms a year to implement the age restrictions post-enactment.
The minister cited concerning statistics: nearly two-thirds of 14- to 17-year-olds have encountered harmful online content (including drug abuse, suicide/self-harm, and violence), while a quarter have been exposed to content promoting unhealthy eating habits.
Government research revealed that 95% of Australian caregivers consider online safety a major parenting challenge.
The minister stressed social media’s responsibility to mitigate the harms on their platforms.
She clarified the bill aims to protect children, not punish or isolate them, emphasizing parental support in children’s well-being.
Concerns have been raised by child welfare and internet experts regarding the potential isolation of 14- and 15-year-olds from established online social circles.
The minister confirmed that messaging services, online games, and platforms significantly supporting health and education will not be subject to age restrictions.
She explained that while risks exist on these platforms, they lack the algorithmic content curation and manipulative engagement tactics of social media.
The government recently contracted a consortium led by Age Check Certification Scheme to explore age verification technologies.
Beyond the social media ban, Australia is also exploring measures to restrict underage access to online pornography.
Age Check Certification Scheme’s CEO detailed the technologies under consideration, including age estimation and inference (deducing age from various data points).
Platforms could face AU$50 million (US$33 million) fines for misusing personal information collected for age verification, unless users provide consent to retain it.
The Digital Industry Group Inc. expressed concern that the Parliament’s expedited timeline might not allow sufficient consultation on this globally unprecedented legislation.
They argued that existing platform safety measures are robust and that a ban might drive young people towards less safe online environments.
They further contended that a ban discourages ongoing safety improvements, shifting the focus from safeguarding users to preventing teenage access.
