Australia moves to ban social media for children under 16, but critics slam 'blunt instrument' scheme
10 September 2024, 11:29
Australia could ban social media for children under the age of 16, in a move branded a "blunt instrument" by critics.
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Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said social media could be a "scourge" for children because of online bullying and access to harmful or dangerous content.
The Australian government has said it will seek to bring in a new law this year that would enforce a minimum age limit on social media sites.
Mr Albanese said that ministers would soon launch a trial of age verification technology, with a view later to banning children from opening social media accounts.
The opposition coalition have also promised a social media ban for children under 16 if it wins elections, which are due to take place by May next year.
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Several countries as well as US states are attempting to legislate to protect children from online harms, including bullying.
In the UK, regulator Ofcom has raised the possibility of blocking access to social media for all children unless the sites get better at restricting harmful content.
But verifying people's ages effectively without infringing on their privacy can be difficult.
Mr Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp: "We've committed to introducing legislation before the end of this year for age verification to make sure that we get young people away from this social harm.
"This is a scourge. We know that there is mental health consequences for what many of the young people have had to deal with - the bullying that can occur online, the access to material which causes social harm - and parents are wanting a response."
But Lisa Given, an information technology expert at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, said the government's plan will prevent children accessing useful content as well.
"This is actually a very problematic move," she said.
"This is a very blunt instrument that's going to potentially exclude children from some very, very helpful supports on social media."
