Tengrinews.kz - The Australian government has proposed to ban social media, including Instagram and TikTok, for children under 16 due to potential harm to physical and mental health, according to Reuters.
The Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese stated that the government plans to implement a "world-leading" policy that bans social media for children under the age of 16.
Australia is testing an age-verification system to prevent children from accessing social media platforms.
"Social media is doing harm to our kids and I'm calling time on it," Albanese said.
The prime minister highlighted the dangers to both physical and mental health from unrestricted use of social media, such as harmful body image concerns for girls and misogynistic content targeting boys.
"If you're a 14-year-old kid getting this stuff, at a time where you're going through life's changes and maturing, it can be a really difficult time and what we're doing is listening and then acting," he said.
Anthony Albanese added that legislation will be introduced into parliament this year, and the ban could come into force as soon as the end of next year.
Furthermore, there will be no exemptions for children who have parental consent, or who already have accounts.
The banned social media platforms will include Meta, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and X. YouTube could also fall within the scope of the legislation.
Albanese stated that the social media platforms will bear the responsibility of proving they are taking adequate measures to block access, rather than placing the burden on parents or young people.
Norway will ban use of social media for children under 15
