The debate over the effects of social media on children is in full swing around the world. Experts say that excessive use of social media at a young age not only increases mental stress and anxiety but also affects education and daily life. In view of these concerns, Australia has taken a big step and is banning social media for children under 16.
According to the British news agency Reuters, Australia has asked social media companies to use the least intrusive methods to prevent children under 16 from accessing social media. This is the world’s first law that bans social media for young people and will come into effect from December.
Internet watchdog E-Safety has said in its guidelines that companies do not need to re-check the age of every user, but can use existing data and artificial intelligence or AI, to determine who is a child and who is an adult. The Internet Watchdog is actually an Australian government agency that monitors the online world. Its main goal is to keep users, especially children and young people, safe in the online world.
E-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said, “If companies can target us with great precision for advertising, they can also accurately estimate the age of children.” She also said that adult users should not face any major changes because it would be inappropriate to ask everyone to re-identify.
The ban has also been applied to YouTube, which was previously exempted, but other major companies such as Meta (Facebook, Instagram), Snapchat and TikTok objected to it.
“We can’t control the ocean, but we can control the sharks,” said Federal Communications Minister Annika Wells. She said companies must take practical steps to close underage accounts, prevent re-registrations and provide a complaints mechanism. The law was passed in November 2024, and companies were given a year to prepare. It will now be mandatory to close all underage accounts by December 10.
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