Australia Proposes Ban On Social Media For Under-16s

Australia's government said that it will introduce legislation to ban children under 16 from social media. The crucial announcement was made by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The legislation would be presented to the parliament this year, the prime minister added. The law will go into force a year after parliament have approved it.

"Social media is doing harm to our kids and I'm calling time on it," Albanese said during a news conference, as quoted by Al Jazeera. Anthony Albanese also said that there will be no exemptions on the age limit for children who have consent from their parents. The opposition Liberal Party has also reportedly expressed support for a ban. “The onus will be on social media platforms to demonstrate they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access. The onus won’t be on parents or young people,” the Australian PM added.

At the same time, the country's Minister of Communications, Michelle Rowland, said that the social media platforms impacted would include Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Elon Musk’s X. The tech giants have not yet responded to this move. Notably, several nations have pledged to enact laws to curb social media use among children.