Australia Officially Bans Social Media For Children Under 16 Years Old

JAKARTA Australia officially became the first country to ban children under the age of 16 from accessing social media. This rule effectively took effect on Wednesday, December 10 at 12 p.m.

There are ten technology platforms that are now inaccessible to children, some of which are popular platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. The platform under the auspices of Meta has limited children's access before its rules officially apply.

Companies that fail to block access to children under the age of 16 are threatened with a very large fine. The maximum imposed fines amounted to USD 49.5 million or approximately IDR 549 billion.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed the enactment of the law and called it a 'proud day' for the entire family in Australia. Albanese emphasized that this application proves that policymakers are able to control online dangers.

"This is the day when Australian families reclaim power from these big tech companies," Albanese told ABC News. He added that humans must control their own destiny amidst technological developments.

Ahead of Australia's summer school holidays, the Prime Minister also encouraged children to focus on non-online activities. He advised them to 'start new sports, new musical instruments, or read books that have long been lying on book shelves'.

The implementation of this rule has attracted the attention of the governments of other countries, especially those who have difficulty implementing social media restrictions for minors. Therefore, Australia is being highlighted by many countries, both in Asia and other parts of the continent.

Several countries such as Denmark, New Zealand, and Malaysia have shown interest in studying the social media ban of Australian youth. This makes Australia a benchmark for countries seeking to implement similar rules.