by Admin
Nov 28, 2024
Australia’s parliament took one of the boldest steps as a pro-democratic country. It passed a law that bans children under 16 from accessing social media in what is regarded as the strictest regulations targeting the platforms in the world.
The Parliament passed the law on Thursday afternoon after weeks of long deliberation, the law requires social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to prevent those under 16 from having any form of social media accounts.
The Australian Senate said the failure of any of the social media platforms to comply with the new law attracts a fine of up to AUS$50 million (US$32.5m).
Anthony Albanese, the prime minister of Australia led the campaign for the law and was at the forefront of rallying parents to support the bill. The Australian prime minister said, “Social media is a platform for peer pressure, a driver of anxiety, a vehicle for scammers and, worst of all, a tool for online predators”.
Albanese further said that he wants to encourage the Australian children to “turn off their phones and onto the footy and cricket field, the tennis and netball courts, in the swimming pool”.
Sarah Hanson-Young, a Greens senator, said before the vote that the legislation was “boomers trying to tell young people how the internet should work to make themselves feel better.”
However, advocacy groups and academicians in Australia have warned that the ban could prevent vulnerable young people, especially those from the LGBTQ community and immigrant teenagers, from finding a support group through online networking.
Also, Australia’s Human Rights Commission has condemned the law saying that the law is interfering with the human rights of young people by blocking their ability to participate within society and keeping up with the outside world.
Prodesq gathered that some social media platforms companies, including WhatsApp and YouTube, will also likely be granted exemptions, because teenagers may need them for work or recreation.