In a first in the world, the Australian parliament approved a law to ban social media for kids under 16.
This new law will be applicable to platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, and Instagram. If these platforms do not comply with the new law, they will be liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars.
The Australian Senate passed the bill on Thursday 34 votes to 19. The House of Representatives also approved the law by 102 votes to 13.
The Prime Minister of Australia says that the legislation is needed to protect the young from the harms of social media. This sentiment is echoed by many parents across Australia.
However, the big question remains, how will it work? What will be its impact on privacy and social connection?
This is not the first time a country has tried to restrict teens from using social media platforms. However, the minimum age of 16 has been the highest set by any country. This legislation also does not include any exceptions for existing users or those with parental consent as is the case in some other countries.
The PM said, “We want our kids to have a childhood and parents to know we have their backs.”
There is no clarity as of yet on the details of the legislation. The government is saying that they will have to rely on some kind of age verification technology to implement these restrictions. According to them, the options will be tested in the coming months.
Social media platforms will have to add those measures to their platforms by themselves to comply with the legislation.
However, the critics and digital researchers are saying that there is no guarantee that it will work. Some critics have also sought assurances that privacy will be protected.
They have also warned the government that these restrictions could also be circumvented through VPN.
Well, there is a lot to be done in the upcoming months. But it is for sure that under 16 kids won’t be able to access social media platforms in Australia.
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