Australia's Parliament Will Consider Social Media Ban for Kids Under 16

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Facts

  • Australia's ruling Labor Party government has proposed legislation in Parliament to ban social media for children under 16, with no parental consent or account exemptions and fines of up to A$49.5M (US$32.2M) for tech platforms that violate the rule.[1][2]
  • Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, X, Reddit, and Instagram would be included in the ban, stating that the goal of the law is for social media not to be a "defining feature of growing up in Australia."[3]
  • The legislation, which is set to go to the Senate next week, is just a "framework" for a ban, with the eSafety Commissioner tasked with implementing and enforcing the law.[4]
  • However, following lobbying efforts from educators and organizations, including The Wiggles — who wanted exemptions for education and health-related platforms — YouTube, gaming platforms, and messaging apps, including WhatsApp, won't be banned.[5]
  • The bill is endorsed by Labor and the opposition Liberals. Rowland said, "Almost two-thirds of 14 to 17-year-old Australians have viewed extremely harmful content online..."[2]
  • This comes as the UK considers a similar law, with Science Secretary Peter Kyle emphasizing child safety and calling for stricter enforcement by Ofcom (the Office of Communications). Critics are urging more research on the impact of technology and pushing for stronger online safety laws.[6][7]

Sources: [1]Reuters, [2]Al Jazeera, [3]Toronto Star, [4]BBC News, [5]ABC, [6]Sky News and [7]Silicon UK.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by The Colgate Maroon News and New York Post. The digital childhood experiment has been tried and failed, so now we need governments to take action. The current generation of young adults are looking back on their childhoods and realizing that social media had little positive impact and a great deal of destructive consequences. The superficial content they're consuming leads to abuse and even health issues. Enacting this ban is crucial.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Columbia Undergraduate Law Review. Like many things, social media has negative effects and immense benefits. These apps allow children of all backgrounds to educate themselves and make friends. Instead of taking them away, the government should force tech companies to implement child safeguards — making the internet a safe place to learn while blocking out the harmful parts.