Australia to ban Social Media access for children under 16

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced plans to ban children under 16 from accessing social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok, citing concerns over the harmful impact on young users. Tech companies would be held accountable for enforcing the age limit, facing fines of up to AUD 1 million (USD 600,000) if they fail to comply.

“This one is for the mums and dads,” Albanese stated, emphasizing that social media is “doing real harm” to children. The responsibility for enforcing the ban will lie with social media platforms, not parents, he clarified.

The proposed laws will be presented to state leaders this week and introduced to parliament by late November, giving companies a one-year grace period to implement the restrictions. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland emphasized that platforms like Meta, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) would face substantial financial penalties if found non-compliant.

While industry leaders expressed concerns about the technical challenges of enforcing a strict age ban, Australia is set to join countries like France in implementing stringent online safety measures for children.