First country in the world BANS social media for under-16s outlawing Instagram & TikTok in move that could sweep globe
SOCIAL media is set to be officially banned for anyone under the age of 16 in one of the world's biggest countries.
Instagram, Facebook and TikTok are among the tech powerhouses due to be outlawed in a bombshell move which is a world's first and could soon sweep the globe.
Millions of youngsters are set to be affected by the ban down under when it comes into force in around a years time.
Australia’s Senate overwhelmingly voted in favour of the strict new legislation today in a crucial vote.
The new law is being aimed at the tech companies running the social media apps as they could face giant fines of over £25 million if they fail to stop kids from having accounts.
Australia's government has ordered the companies to take appropriate steps to increase online safety.
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Parents and children have been assured they won't face punishments.
The ban isn't expected to begin for at least another 12 months.
Aussie Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said prior to the vote: “Social media is doing harm to our children and I’m calling time on it.
“I’ve spoken to thousands of parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles. They, like me, are worried sick about the safety of our children online.”
The legislation was swiftly passed with the House of Representatives approving 102 votes to 13 on Wednesday.
Today, the Senate decided to pass the Social Media Minimum Age bill by 34 votes to just 19.
Children’s safety deserves strong, effective solutions to complex problems, not knee-jerk responses that would do more harm than good
Andy Burrows
Seventy seven per cent of the Aussie population also wanted a ban, according to latest polls.
Gaming and messaging platforms are exempt from the ban.
Sites that can be accessed without an account have also been spared - a potential lifeline for YouTube.
PM Albanese has remained very vocal on his concerns around child social media usage in recent months.
He has previously criticised media mogul's Elon Musk, who runs X, and Mark Zuckerberg, the Meta boss, for not doing enough to safeguard their platforms.
Musk has constantly hit back at critics blasting them for trying to silence free speech.
The law has always sparked backlash from digital rights advocates when mentioned as they warn the measure could drive dangerous online activity underground.
The ban for anyone under 16 now means it is on the same level as the legal age of consent in many states and the minimum age to apply for a driver's license.
Previous attempts at a social media ban, including by the European Union, have failed following complaints about reducing the online rights of minors.
A spokesperson for Meta said Facebook respect Australian law but they are "concerned" about the upcoming process.
They told Reuters: "The task now turns to ensuring there is productive consultation on all rules associated with the Bill.
"To ensure a technically feasible outcome that does not place an onerous burden on parents and teens and a commitment that rules will be consistently applied across all social apps used by teens."
Social media is doing harm to our children and I’m calling time on it
Anthony Albanese
Andy Burrows, the chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation in the UK, also has reservations with an age limit.
He described the move as a "retrograde step" which may leave youngsters teetering on a "cliff edge of harm".
Andy fears under-16s are now more likely to suffer at an older age due to the lack of experience online as pre-teens.
He said: “Children should not be punished for the failures of tech platforms nor the delayed response from successive governments.
“Children’s safety deserves strong, effective solutions to complex problems, not knee-jerk responses that would do more harm than good.”
Many social media sites do already have their own built in minimum age for users.
Meta and X both require people to be above 13 when they sign up.
X also has stricter policies for users who want to access certain types of content, such as sensitive media or adult content, which often require users to be 18 or older.
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Many other governments are reportedly set to closely watch the Australian roll-out of the bill.
It is being viewed as a test case for a growing number of countries who have laid out plans for similar restrictions in regards to social media.
Social media bans across the world
AUSTRALIA is set to become the first ever country to implement a nationwide ban on social media for under-16s.
It isn't due to begin for another year at least however with several other places already under similar online restrictions.
Last year, France introduced a legislation to block social media access for children under 15 unless they get parental consent.
The US has already tried to impose a ban in several states.
Utah tried a ban similar to Australia but it was overturned by a federal judge who found it unconstitutional.
A recent Florida law is also under the microscope in court.
It aims to ban social media for all children under 14 and make those under 16 need parental consent to go online.
Norway is also set to introduce their own version of social media restrictions in the near future.
As are the UK.
The technology secretary recently said a similar ban was “on the table” with concerns continuing to grow over youngster's online safety.
Other social media bans
Several countries also have their own restrictions on the type of apps and websites their citizens are allowed to use.
China, North Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia all have rules over which apps can and can't be used with many global brands being completely non-existent.