Kids in Australia below the age of 16 might be banned from social media as a part of a push to guard younger folks’s psychological well being, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese mentioned, with corporations concerned required to implement the brand new rules or face potential fines.
“Social media is doing hurt to our youngsters and I’m calling time on it,” Albanese instructed reporters in Canberra on Thursday, pledging to introduce laws later this month.
“The onus might be on social media platforms to exhibit they’re taking affordable steps to stop entry. The onus received’t be on dad and mom or younger folks. There’ll be no penalties for customers.”
The long-anticipated age limits for social media are a part of a collection of measures from Albanese’s centre-left Labor authorities to crack down on know-how giants, which the prime minister blames for a surge in misinformation and psychological well being issues.
Australia has a historical past of taking over giant know-how corporations that run social media websites, together with a push in 2021 to make Fb and Google pay for information content material. Extra just lately, the federal government took Elon Musk’s X to court docket over a failure to take away a video of a terrorist assault in Sydney.
Labor can be weighing new laws to power social media websites to crack down on misinformation and disinformation on their platforms.
Consulted
The federal government mentioned it had consulted with social media corporations on the age limits “by a wide range of means”. Nevertheless, officers didn’t specify which web sites the modifications would apply to, whether or not they had acquired assurances {that a} ban may very well be put in force or what the potential measurement of the penalties for corporations may very well be.
Learn: Ought to South Africa ban children from social media?
Albanese mentioned he didn’t consider the legal guidelines could be absolutely efficient, or repair the issue instantly, pointing to alcohol restrictions which have failed to stop underage consuming. — Ben Westcott, (c) 2024 Bloomberg LP
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