Australia’s center-left government has introduced a bill in Parliament to ban social media for children under 16, with fines of up to $32 million for platforms that breach the rules. The country plans to trial an age-verification system using biometrics or government ID to enforce the cutoff, without exemptions for parental consent or existing accounts. The highest age limit set by any country, the law aims to protect children’s physical and mental health from harmful content.
The Labor government argues that excessive social media use poses risks, especially to girls’ body image and boys’ exposure to misogynist content. Messaging, gaming, and health-education services will still be available to children, but popular platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat will be affected. The opposition supports the bill, while others demand more details.
Many countries have sought to regulate social media for children, but Australia’s policy is strict. France proposed a ban for under-15s with parental consent as a workaround, while the US requires parental consent for under-13s. Almost two-thirds of Australian teenagers have seen harmful content online, prompting the need for action.
The law places the responsibility on social media platforms to ensure age verification, with robust privacy provisions in place to protect user data. The government aims to hold platforms accountable for user safety and make significant changes to address the risks associated with social media for children.
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