Australia moves to block teens from social media with strict new rules
Australian government introduces ground-breaking social media restrictions for users under 16. The new law includes multi-million dollar fines and mandatory age checks using government IDs
In a ground-breaking move‚ Australiaʼs parliament got a new bill that wants to stop under-16s from using social-media platforms (the highest age-limit worldwide)
The law sets up tough rules: platforms like Metaʼs Instagram TikTok and Anthony Albaneseʼs government plans fines up to A$49.5 million for companies that dont follow them. The age-check system might need government ID or bio-metrics to work
This is a landmark reform. We know some kids will find workarounds‚ but weʼre sending a message to social media companies to clean up their act
The plan has some exceptions - kids can still use:
- Online messaging
- Gaming platforms
- Educational tools like Google Classroom
- Mental-health support services
- YouTube
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland points to research showing many teens see harmful stuff online: about 2/3 of aussie kids aged 14-17 find dangerous content. The law makes platforms - not parents - responsible for checking users ages; while France made similar rules last yr their system lets parents give ok
The bill got support from the Liberal party but Green party members and independents want more info. Social platforms will need to delete any personal info they collect during age checks - a key part of privacy rules in the new system
