Australia announces a ban on social media use for minors
Australia plans to ban children from using social media due to concerns that platforms like Instagram and TikTok are harming young people’s physical and mental health.
On Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that the government will begin an age verification trial in the coming months, leading up to the introduction of legislation to enforce the ban.
Albanese mentioned that his center-left Labor Party government is considering setting the minimum age for social media use between 14 and 16.
“Parents are deeply worried about their children’s social media use and are struggling to manage it,” Albanese stated. “They want their kids to spend less time on their phones and more time engaged in activities like sports. I share this concern. We are taking this action because we believe it’s time to address the issue.”
Opposition leader Peter Dutton, head of the center-right Liberal Party, has previously supported banning social media for individuals under 16 years old.
China, France, and several U.S. states have enacted laws to limit social media use among minors due to concerns over issues like cyberbullying and unrealistic beauty standards.
Critics argue that these measures infringe on young people’s freedom of expression and raise privacy concerns.
Daniel Angus, a professor of digital communication at Queensland University of Technology, has labeled Australia’s proposed ban as “reckless,” “populist,” and a “misguided distraction.”
In a LinkedIn post on Tuesday, Angus cautioned that the ban could“create serious harm by cutting off young people from meaningful, healthy engagement in the digital world. It might push them toward lower-quality online environments and deprive them of a vital means of social connection.”
He also noted that this approach would allow major online platforms to avoid making necessary improvements to the quality of content, as it merely sets up a barrier rather than addressing the underlying issues.
