Australia Plans Social Media Age Restrictions—limit between 14-16, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will introduce federal legislation banning children under the minimum age of 16 from using social media.
Legislation to be introduced this year will aim to curb the influence of social media sites on young people.
The minimum age for children to access sites like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok has not been decided yet, but it is expected to be between 14 and 16 years. Prime’s priority is to block users under 16 years of age.
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“I want to see kids off their devices and onto the footy fields and the swimming pools and the tennis courts,” Albanese said.
To set up with the legislation, an age verification process is required. The centre-left party leader said age verification tests were being conducted in the next few months.
Age verification trials include verification via :
- Passport, license, or birth certificate.
- The bank can confirm the age, such as using registered SIM card information that requires ID at purchase.
- Use the MyGov platform to verify age through linked government services.
- Take a selfie to match with official ID photos.
However, analysts expressed doubt that it would be technically possible to enforce age limits on the Internet. But analysts doubt the technical feasibility of imposing an online age limit Albanese aims to encourage children to have real experiences with real people, citing the potential social harms of social media.
Toby Murray, University of Melbourne associate professor in computing and information technology, warns that age verification methods are unreliable and easy to circumvent, and the age limit may not help troubled children.
Daniel Angus, head of the Digital Media Research Centre at Queensland University of Technology, warns that the age limit could exclude young people from meaningful, healthy participation in the digital world.
Samantha Schultz, senior sociologist of education at the University of Adelaide, believes there is logic in setting limits, but regulating youth misses the urgent task of regulating irresponsible social media platforms
The Prime Minister has expected parents to address online bullying and harmful content on social media.
Australia has been at the forefront of global efforts to regulate social media platforms. Its online security watchdog has come into conflict with Elon Musk’s X, particularly regarding its content, and this competition has been particularly notable.
