The digital world as we know it is about to change. Australia’s government is proposing a bold new law that could see kids and teens under 16 banned from social media.
On Thursday, October 7, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the draft legislation, which aims to mitigate the mental health toll social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat are having on young Australians.
The federal government had been developing this social media ban proposal for some time, but was prompted to accelerate its announcement this week after South Australia revealed its own plan to ban social media for all children under 14. To avoid a fragmented approach with different rules in each state, the nationwide legislation will keep rules consistent across the whole country.
Under the proposed law, social media companies will be responsible for enforcing the age restrictions, but no penalties will be given to children or parents who bypass the ban. The rules would apply to all users under 16, including current social media account holders, with no exceptions for parental consent.
The social media ban is set to take effect a year after it’s passed by parliament. On Friday, October 8, Prime Minister Albanese met with all state and territory leaders to discuss the changes, receiving unanimous support – except from Tasmania's Deputy Premier, Guy Barnett, who advocated for a minimum age of 14 instead. Nonetheless, Barnett agreed to a unified approach, highlighting the need to review the legislation within two years to ensure it's delivering the desired results.