Sydney, Australia. Social media ban for children and young people.
Owning a smartphone is now an unquestioned reality for many children and young people. This is often accompanied by intensive use of social media. The Australian government now wants to take action against this and only allow access to platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to young people aged 16 and over. Parliament has already approved the new legislation; the opposition also supports the political move. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese describes the decision to ban social media as a response to countless voices of concern from parents, grandparents, and caregivers who doubt the safety of online platforms for children and young people. Albanese said that particular care would be taken when implementing the new regulation. The government is aware that Australia is the first country in the world to enact such a comprehensive ban and that this will set a precedent. For this reason, it is likely to be more than a year before the new legislation comes into effect.
It is also still unclear how age verification will be implemented. Suitable technologies are to be tested in the coming months; the platforms themselves are ultimately responsible for their implementation. If they refuse to do so, fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars could be imposed. Critics are already questioning the feasibility of the ban, as similar regulations have often been successfully circumvented in other countries, for example, by activating a VPN that makes it appear as if the user is logging in from another country. According to Albanese, the government is not entitled to find a perfect method for implementation, but it is nevertheless the right step. The international reaction to Australia’s plans has been positive: countries such as Norway and the UK have announced their intention to bring similar legislation to parliament.
Sources BBC and Tagesschau
Translation Charles Cross
Photo Sherise Van Dyk
