Australia plans social media ban for under-16s

Australia's authorities says it volition present world-first authorities to prohibition children nether 16 from societal media.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the projected laws, to beryllium tabled successful parliament adjacent week, were aimed astatine mitigating the "harm" societal media was inflicting connected Australian children.

"This 1 is for the mums and dads... They, similar me, are disquieted sick astir the information of our kids online. I privation Australian families to cognize that the authorities has your back," helium said.

While galore of the details are yet to beryllium debated, the authorities said the prohibition volition not use to young radical already connected societal media.

There volition beryllium nary exemptions connected the property bounds for children who person consent from their parents, and the authorities says that the onus volition beryllium connected societal media platforms to amusement they are taking tenable steps to forestall access.

Albanese besides clarified that determination volition beryllium nary penalties for users, and that it would beryllium up to Australia's online regulator - the eSafety Commissioner - to enforce the laws.

The authorities would travel into unit 12 months aft it passes and beryllium taxable to a reappraisal aft it's successful place.

Some experts person criticised societal media bans arsenic ineffective, saying that they lone hold young people's vulnerability to societal media, alternatively of teaching them however to navigate analyzable online spaces.

Previous attempts to enforce bans, including by the European Union, person mostly failed oregon recovered the implementation challenging fixed that determination are tools which tin circumvent age-verification requirements.