Today, the parliament gave the “green light” to the bill which will prohibit the access of minors under the age of 16 to . The draft law will be discussed in the second year in the Senate.
Under this proposal, which was promoted by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, platforms such as X, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram would have to take steps to prevent under-16s from gaining access. If they do not comply with their obligation they will be fined up to 31 million euros.
The bill was approved by a vote of 102 to 13. It has not yet been determined when it will be discussed in the Senate.
Many platforms denounced a “hasty” decision, expressing “serious concerns” about the “unforeseen consequences” it could have.
Before the vote, Albanese said that social media favors “a conduit for scammers and, worst of all, a tool for online predators».
Australia’s vanguard of children and the internet
Australia is at the forefront of countries taking steps to protect children online. The proposed age limit is one of the strictest in the world, but how the proposals will be implemented remains unclear.
The text, after being amended by parliament, now requires the tech giants to ask their new users for an identity document proving their age. If the bill is eventually passed, companies will have one year to implement the measures.
Some analysts express doubts about the . University of Sydney digital communications professor Terry Flew said the bill could end up being a “symbolic move”.
Other examples of banning social media for minors
Many countries have already decided to set a minimum age for access to the platforms.
In Florida, the law that will take effect in January prohibits young people under the age of 14 from opening an account, without specifying how this will be done. In Spain, the government presented a similar bill in June, which has not yet been debated. It provides for the prohibition of access to minors under the age of 16.
China, from 2021, has placed restrictions on the access of minors. While asking for verification of their age by showing ID. Children under 14 are not allowed to spend more than 40 minutes a day on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok), and the time children and teenagers spend on online games is limited.
