Australia Designs Child Prohibition Law Under 16 Years Of Access To Social Media, PM Albanese: Dangerous

Illustration. (Unsplash/Rami Al-zayat)

JAKARTA - The Australian government will enact a law banning children under 16 from accessing social media, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday, in what he calls a world-leading action package that could become law by the end of next year.

Australia is testing an age verification system to help block children from accessing social media platforms, as part of a series of measures that include some of the strictest controls imposed by any country to date.

"Social media is endangering our children and I will stop them," PM Albanese told a news conference.

PM Albanese cites the risks to children's physical and mental health from excessive use of social media, particularly risks to girls from depictions of harmful body images, and misogynistic content aimed at boys.

"If you're a 14 year old kid getting this, when you're changing your life and growing up, it can be a very difficult time and all we do is listen and then act," he explained.

Several countries have pledged to curb the use of social media by children through the law, although Australia's policy is one of the strictest.

So far, no jurisdiction has tried using age verification methods such as biometrics or government identification to enforce social media age limits, two of which are being tested.

Australia's first proposal in the world to be the highest age limit set by any country, no exceptions for parental consent and no exceptions for pre-existing accounts.

The law will be introduced to Australian parliament this year, with the law taking effect 12 months after being ratified by lawmakers, PM Albanese said.

Meanwhile, the oppositiond Liberal Party has expressed support for the ban.

There will be no exceptions for children who have parental consent, or who already have an account.

"Responsibility will be on social media platforms to show that they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access," said PM Albanese. "Responsibility will not rest with the parents or young people," he continued.

"What we are announcing here and what we are going to invite will really be at the forefront of the world," said Communications Minister Michelle Rowland.

Menteri Rowland mengatakan, platform yang terkena damp akan mencakup Meta Platforms, Instagram dan Facebook, serta TikTok milik Bytedance dan X milik Elon Musk. Alphabet, YouTube kemungkinan juga akan termasuk dalam cupuan undang-undang tersebut, tambahnya.

TikTok declined to comment, while Meta, Alphabet, and X did not respond to requests for comment.

The Digital Industry Group, Alphabet's representative body covering Meta, TikTok, X and Google as members, said the move could encourage young people to explore the darker and more unregulated parts of the internet while cutting off their access to support networks.

"Maintaining the safety of young people online is a top priority, but the ban proposed for teenagers to access digital platforms is a 20th Century response to the challenge of the 21st Century," said DIGI Managing Director Sunita Bose.

"Instead of blocking access through a ban, we need to take a balanced approach to creating age-appropriate spaces, building digital literacy, and protecting young people from online harm," he added.