Australia launches bill banning social media for under 16s

Australia's government on Thursday introduced a bill in parliament that aims to ban social media for children under 16.

According to the proposed bill, flouting the ban would lead to a fine of up to AU$50 million (€30.8 million, $32 million) for the platforms failing to impose the restrictions.

The center-left government plans to try out an age-verification system that is likely to use biometrics or government identification to enforce the rule.

If passed, the landmark law would outline some of the toughest controls so far on social media platforms imposed by a country.

"This is a landmark reform. We know some kids will find workarounds, but we're sending a message to social media companies to clean up their act," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement.

The opposition Liberal Party is expected to support the bill. However, independents and the Green party have demanded more details on the proposed law. 

Tough Aussie rules

The proposal set forth by Australia does not allow exemptions for parental consent or pre-existing accounts.

Child welfare and internet experts have expressed concerns that the Australian ban would isolate teenagers from established online social networks.

UNICEF Australia's Katie Maskiell said the proposed law would not be a "solve-all" for protecting children and only risk pushing young people onto "covert and unregulated online spaces."

Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland, however, said the aim is to protect and not to isolate children.

"This is about protecting young people, not punishing or isolating them, and letting parents know that we're in their corner when it comes to supporting their children's health and wellbeing," Rowland said.

She told the parliament that 95% of Australian caregivers find online safety to be one of their toughest parenting challenges, citing government research.

"Almost two-thirds of 14- to 17-year-old Australians have viewed extremely harmful content online including drug abuse, suicide or self-harm as well as violent material. One quarter have been exposed to content promoting unsafe eating habits," Rowland said.

In June, Spain proposed a law raising the age to use social media from 14 to 16.

France last year proposed a ban on social media for users under 15, but many were able to avoid it with parental consent. Meanwhile, the United States, for decades now, has required tech companies to seek parental consent to access the data of users under 13.

YouTube and others to be exempt from ban

The communications minister said some companies that have useful tools for education, messaging, gaming and mental health, will be exempted.

This would include platforms such as Google-owned YouTube, Google Classroom, WhatsApp and Headspace.

"We are not saying risks don't exist on messaging apps or online gaming. While users can still be exposed to harmful content by other users, they do not face the same algorithmic curation of content and psychological manipulation to encourage near-endless engagement," Rowland told the parliament. 

mk/sms (AP, AFP, Reuters)

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Spain banned social media use for children under 16. Spanish lawmakers have proposed such a measure, but it has not been passed into law.