Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday announced plans in the country to ban social media for children under 16, saying that “social media is doing harm to our kids, and I’m calling time on it.”
The proposed legislation will enter parliament this year, taking effect a year after lawmakers ratify it, said Albanese, adding that there will be no exemptions for parental consent. This means platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, and likely YouTube will bear the responsibility to prevent access by children, per a Reuters report.
Australia’s approach is among the strictest globally, but numerous other countries are moving in the same direction. Norway’s prime minister last month said the country will soon enforce an age limit on use of social media of 15 up from age 13, saying it needs to more aggressively campaign against profit-driven tech companies that are “pitted against small children’s brains.”