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As governments around the world continue to address this thorny issue Age verification For some sites and platforms, Australia takes a tougher approach. Starting today, the entire country will ban social media sites for all children under the age of 16.
Includes age-restricted applications Tik TokFacebook , InstagramThreads, X, Snapchat, YouTube, Reddit, Kick, and Twitch. Younger teens will still have access to the popular gaming platform Discord, Messenger Kids, WhatsApp, Pinterest, Kids Helpline, Google Classroom, and YouTube Kids. The ban also does not include AI-powered chatbots such as ChatGPT,OpenAI Sora Or Google twin.
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Australia is the first country to launch this type of age-restricted social media ban. Many other countries, including China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Turkey, Uganda, Saudi Arabia, and India, impose full or partial bans on social media, usually for political and security reasons.
Other countries, including Denmark, France, Norway and Malaysia, are considering imposing bans similar to Australia’s, and will monitor the effectiveness of the Australian ban over the coming months.
Although many studies have been conducted around the world on the psychological and emotional effects of social media use on children, the ban was inspired by the book “The Anxious Generation” by American psychologist Jonathan Haidt. Annabelle West, wife of South Australian Prime Minister Peter Malinauskas, She encouraged her husband to consider the ban After reading Haidt’s book in 2024.
Tech companies must implement the Australian ban, or face huge fines
Applications can be used Age assurance technologysuch as facial and voice analysis, to verify that the consumer is at least 16 years old. Social media companies can also check how long an account has been active and assess age by language pattern and community memberships.
Children, being children, will find solutions — Like a 13 year old kid Who uploaded a photo of her mother’s face to trick age verification. The Australian government said it will prevent children from using false identity documents, artificial intelligence tools or… VPNs To fake their age and location.
Technology companies will face a $33 million fine specified in the legislationIf they fail to enforce the ban on under 16s.
Two 15-year-old Australians, supported by Digital Freedom Projectchallenges the social media ban and the country’s Supreme Court Their case can be heard Early February. They argue, in part, that the ban “would have the effect of sacrificing a significant range of freedom of expression and participation for 13- to 15-year-olds in social media interactions (including communications related to personal and governmental matters, and the benefits to these youth from such interactions).”
TikTok said it would comply With the new laws, though, he noted that the restrictions “may be annoying” to customers. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, It has already started Remove user accounts under 16 years old. Snapchat is ready to boot Nearly half a million Australian children are out of their accounts. Not surprisingly, X President Elon Musk criticized this change, Writing in 2024 That the law “appears to be a backdoor way to control internet access for all Australians”.
Some experts praise Australia’s ban
Donna Rice-Hughes, president and CEO of Enough is Enough, a non-profit organization with a mission to “make the internet safer for children and families”, praised Australia for “taking a proactive approach to protecting children from the harms of social media”.
Enough is Enough, which was launched in 1992, He documented countless pitfalls Social media for children, including overuse, sexting, online exploitation, bullying, depression, and more. The organization has published several Internet safety guides and Security settings for social media apps.
“This ban should be an incentive for social media and other online platforms and services to be proactive in implementing safer-by-design technologies and default parental management tools before rushing to market with products that could pose a risk to children and teens,” Hughes told CNET.
Hughes added that big tech companies are only responsible for government intervention such as the Australian one.
“They failed to do the right thing for our children from the beginning,” she said. “The carrot approach of voluntary industry efforts to prioritize children’s safety over profits has not worked. The historical fact is that the first social media platforms to take off in the United States and abroad, Facebook and MySpace, were developed for students of college age and older.”
The United States does not have a comprehensive age limit like Australia, however Several states are developing new laws To regulate and restrict teenagers’ access to social media.