Australia’s Prime Minister wants to ban children’s social media
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised to introduce legislation that will prevent children under a certain age from using social media. reported that Albanese made his statement in a TV interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC).
Albanese says the Australian government will begin its social media program by testing age verification technology sometime this year. He also did not mention a specific age limit but estimated that he would like to ban children under the age of 14-16 because “we know that social media harms society.”
Meta issued a statement in response to the PM’s proposal noting that it also already has a 13-year minimum requirement for users. The social media company also noted that it wants to empower young people to benefit from social media through parental controls and monitoring “instead of simply blocking access.”
Lawmakers in the US and other countries have proposed and are trying to implement a federal age limit on access to social media. Last year, he introduced two bills in Congress that would prevent youths under the age of 16 from using social media. The state of Utah also passed laws in 2023 requiring teens to have parental consent and provide a copy of an ID instead of just entering their date of birth to access their accounts. Next year, ID requirements.
Social media use has become a major health issue as experts raise concerns about its effects on the mental well-being of young users. An open letter signed by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy supported a proposal to require social media websites to post visual health warnings the way tobacco manufacturers are required to do on their product packaging.