Social media companies could be fined more than US$30 million if they fail to keep children off their platforms, under new laws introduced in Australia’s Parliament on Thursday.
The law would force social media companies to take steps to prevent people under 16 from accessing platforms like Xx, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.
Failure to do so would result in fines of up to Aus$50 million (US$32.5 million).
Australia is leading the way among countries trying to clean up social media, and the proposed age limit would be one of the strictest measures in the world for children.
Details about how social media companies are expected to enforce the ban remain unclear.
Reading: Analysis: Should India ban social media for under-16s like Australia?
The proposed laws would also include stronger privacy provisions that would require tech platforms to delete any age-verification information collected.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said on Thursday that social media companies have a responsibility to the “safety and mental health” of Australians.
“The law places the responsibility to ensure safety not on parents or children, but on social media platforms,” ​​he said.
Some companies will be exempt from the ban, such as YouTube, which teens may need to use for school work or other reasons.
Rowland said messaging services like WhatsApp and online gaming would also be exempted.
Social media platforms once celebrated as a means to stay connected and informed have been tarnished by cyberbullying, the spread of illegal content, and election-interference claims.
If the proposed law is passed, tech platforms would be given a one-year grace period to figure out how to implement and enforce the ban.
Social media companies have said they will comply with the new law but have cautioned the government against acting too quickly and without adequate consultation.
Analysts have also expressed skepticism that it would be technically possible to impose strict age restrictions.
UNICEF Australia’s Katie Maskiel said on Thursday the proposed legislation would not be a “fix-all” solution to protecting children and more needed to be done.
He said these laws risk pushing young people into “secret and unregulated online spaces”.
Many other countries are tightening children’s access to social media platforms.
Spain passed a law in June banning access to social media for children under 16.
And in the US state of Florida, children under 14 will be banned from opening social media accounts under a new law coming into effect in January.
In both cases, the age verification method has not been determined yet.
Reading: Could social media be banned for children like Australia is doing? evidence suggests
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
