Teen plan advancing
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Legislation to ban social media access for those under 16 is expected to pass Parliament soon.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, along with the state and territory leaders, backed the proposal in a virtual meeting on Friday.
“Social media is doing social harm to our young Australians,” Albanese told reporters.
“The safety and mental health of our young people has to be a priority.”
Under this plan, major platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and X will be required to prevent users under 16 from creating accounts, with the aim of implementing the ban a year after it is passed.
This grace period is intended to allow social media companies time to devise practical age-verification methods, while also addressing privacy concerns associated with confirming users’ ages.
The decision follows months of debate on setting a minimum age, initially considering ages as low as 14.
However, for consistency, Tasmania set aside its preference for 14 in favour of a unified national stance at 16. The move has garnered widespread, albeit mixed, reactions.
While the LMP opposition party has signalled support for the proposal, more than 140 academics specialising in technology and child welfare signed an open letter last month criticising age limits as "too blunt an instrument to address … risks effectively”.
Critics argue that tech-savvy teens could easily circumvent the ban, potentially driving issues like cyberbullying further underground.
The Greens party also voiced concerns, suggesting the ban could stifle young activists and prevent “future child environmentalists” like Greta Thunberg from emerging.
The tech giant Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, weighed in by proposing “stronger tools” in app stores and operating systems that allow parents to control app access, calling the approach “a simple and effective solution.”
The legislation, which includes provisions to maintain access to educational and health services, is set to be presented to Parliament within the next two weeks.
