Australian children under the age of 16 could soon be banned from using social media, after both major political parties have voiced support for raising the legal social media age.
This week, Opposition Leaderpromised to block under-16s from social media within the first 100 days of a Coalition government.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his party would also support a ban “if it can be effective”.
It comes amid growing calls for tougher restrictions on children’s access to social media.
Coalition
This week, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton announced that his party intends to implement a social media ban for children under 16 if elected.
Dutton said the necessary technology needed to enforce this is still under development.
At a press conference later, Shadow Communications Minister David Coleman said: “We know we can’t rely on social media companies to enforce age limits to protect kids, so we’re going to force them to.”
Government
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed support for a ban, stating it could be a good option, and that 16 “is a reasonable age”.
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Albanese emphasised the need for a trial period of any ban to determine its feasibility and effectiveness.
The Government assigned funding in the Federal Budget to a trial of age-assurance technology.
Concerns
In May, the South Australian Government proposed a social media ban for under-14s, and mandatory parental consent for under-16s.
At a national level, the ’36 Months’, co-led by radio host Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli, is urging the Government to raise the minimum age for social media from 13 to 16.
They argue that these years are critical for young people to develop a “secure sense of self”. The campaign’s petition has received over 100,000 signatures.
Worldwide
In March this year, the U.S. state of Florida enacted laws banning social media accounts for children under 14 and requiring parental consent for those aged 15 and 16. Similarly, the state of Texas prohibited individuals under 18 from opening social media accounts without parental permission.
Despite these measures, experts caution that enforcing such bans pose significant challenges, especially with the increasing use of VPNs (virtual private networks) in regions where age restrictions are in place.
