Australian lawmakers passed landmark rules banning under-16s from social media on Thursday, approving one of the world’s toughest crackdowns on popular sites like Facebook, Instagram and X.
The bill has now been approved by both houses of Parliament with bipartisan support, and social media companies are soon expected to take “reasonable steps” to prevent young teenagers from having accounts.
The companies – which face fines of up to A$50 million (US$32.5 million) for non-compliance – have described the laws as “vague”, “problematic” and “rushed”.
The legislation passed the lower house of parliament on Wednesday and was passed by the Senate late Thursday evening. It is now certain to become law.
Centre-left Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is eyeing an election early next year, has enthusiastically defended the new rules and rallied Australian parents to support them.
In the run-up to the vote, he described social media as “a platform for peer pressure, a trigger for anxiety, a vehicle for scammers, and worst of all, a tool for online predators.”
He said he wanted young Australians to put down their phones and go to the football and cricket pitches, the tennis and netball courts, and to the swimming pool.
“I will find a way”
But young Australians, like 12-year-old Angus Leedom, didn’t like it.
“I would like to keep using it. It would be a strange feeling not to be able to talk to all my friends at home.”
Many will likely try to find ways to overcome it.
“I will find a way. And so will all my other friends,” said Leedom.
Likewise, 11-year-old Elsie Arcenthal said there is still a place for social media, especially for kids who want to watch baking or art tutorials, many of which appear on social media.
“Children and teens should be able to explore these technologies because you can’t learn all these things from books,” she added.
On paper, this ban is among the strictest in the world.
But current legislation provides almost no detail on how the rules will be enforced, raising concern among experts that it will be merely symbolic and unenforceable legislation.
It will take at least 12 months before details are worked out by regulators and the ban comes into force.
Some companies will likely be granted exemptions, such as WhatsApp and YouTube, which teens may need to use for entertainment, school work, or other reasons.
Late amendments were introduced to ensure that government-issued digital ID is not used as a means of age verification.
Australia is leading the way
Social media expert Susan Grantham told AFP that digital literacy programs that teach children to think “critically” about what they see online should be adopted, similar to the model used in Finland.
This legislation will be closely watched by other countries, as many are considering implementing a similar ban.
Lawmakers from Spain to Florida have proposed social media bans for young teens, though none of the measures have yet been implemented.
China has restricted access for minors since 2021, with children under 14 not allowed to spend more than 40 minutes a day on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.
Online play time for children is also limited in China.