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Australia has passed a world-first, banning young children from social media. It targets under-16s, won’t take effect for another 12 months or more, and carries with it a hefty fine for companies who break the law.
Companies like Meta (Facebook, Instagram) will be subject to a fine of 50 million Australian dollars (USD 32.5 million) if they don’t crack down on its younger user base. For those worried about gaming and sites that don’t require an account, these are planned to be exempt.
However, another video-sharing platform, TikTok, which has been the subject of American probing, requires an account to use it – as with many other social networks. One of the largest social media networks on the planet, TikTok encompasses a massive 1 billion active users per month, with a large young audience.
TikTok offered a rebuttal, claiming that Australia’s law was too “broad and unclear”, as it believes that a large portion of online services “could fall within” its definition.
Australia has yet to announce which networks would be required to abide by the new law, with some online concerned about risks to adults.
Concerns have been raised that the Australian government would want further access to private data. While not targeting adults, to gain access to these sites, which could expose users who wish to stay as anonymous as possible.
One user on Bluesky said that it could lead to closeted LGBTQ+ people potentially being outed after handing over documentation as they sign up for dating services.
eSafety Youth Council, an Australian collective focused on online safety for young people aged 13-24, provided a letter in June 2024. It claims that while social media is a complicated matter, removing all access to it would result in young people being excluded from the conversation.
Not just in a political sense, but also in a community sense. They bring up that it would limit connectivity with families and friends across long distances, “particularly for First Nations young people”.
However, a major issue is just how the Australian government will enforce the ban. While age verification has been a thing for decades now, it has been swiftly defeated by simply falsifying your age. Getting around Australian internet service providers would be incredibly easy with the use of VPNs (virtual private networks), some of which are free.
Featured image: Pexels, Wikicommons, TikTok, Apple
