Australia plans to introduce legislation by the end of 2024 to set a national minimum age for social media use, aiming to protect children from potentially harmful technology and encourage more physical activity. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese indicated the age limit would likely be between 14 and 16. Critics, however, warn that such a ban could push children toward less-regulated, potentially unsafe platforms. Australia’s initiative reflects growing global concerns about the mental health impact of social media on young people, with similar restrictions already in place in some Asian countries. Enforcing the rules on foreign tech companies poses challenges, as shown by recent struggles with platforms like Meta and X over illegal content. Australia's online safety commissioner has faced legal battles over child protection, with the government pledging to support tougher regulations despite the legal complexities.
Marvin Cook
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Australia moves to ban young people from social media
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Discussion (2)
This is just more government overreach. I get that protecting kids is important, but forcing a minimum age on social media isn't going to stop kids from finding ways around it. It’ll just drive them to less regulated platforms that are harder to monitor. Also, who's going to enforce this? Parents should be teaching their kids about responsible tech use, not the government acting like Big Brother.
I don't find it's an overreach, it's like age restrictions for movies. Sure, many kid's don't follow those, but many do. Parents can enforce it or not. I think having an age restriction at least signals to society that social media isn't without dangers, which can in turn influence parents to teach their kids about it.