LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- The use of social media by children under the age of 16 has been banned by the Australian government.
The strictness of this regulation against tech giants is to set a standard for administrations globally.
According to a Reuters report, tech companies like Meta ( Instagram and Facebook) and TikTok will face fines of up to A$49.5 million equivalent to $32 million if it fails to stop minors from opening new tabs or logging in.
The ban will be tried with different methods starting from January and is expected to fully take effect in one year.
The Australian government has set precedent through its Social Media Minimum Age bill for other nations hoping to do the same to protect the mental health of its young people.
Although, France and some states in the USA have laws restricting the online social presence of a minor without permission from the parents, the ban by Australia is absolute needing no permission.
The progress of this new law is a political win for Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese who despite his low poll opinions will proceed to 2025 for re-election.
However, recent pollos show that some child rights groups and private advocates have come out to oppose this law even though 77 percent of Australians voted yes to it.
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During parliamentary inquiries, parents of children who had been subject to online bullying presented evidence showing that it led them (the minors) to harm themselves. This led to the ban gaining the support of Australia’s biggest newspaper publisher, Rupert Murdoch, of News Corp (NWSA.O), who launched a campaign called “Let Them Be Kids”.
In light of this events, this move by Australia can put a strain on its relationship with US-domiciled tech giants and also its key political ally, the USA, where an already prominent figure in the new administration, owner of X social platform, Elon Musk, described the ban through a post on his X social platform as a “backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians”.
Aside setting an example for other nations, Australia was also the first country to award royalty payments to media outlets for sharing contents from social media platforms and now it still plans to fine social media platforms if they fail to strike out scams.
Speaking on behalf of Facebook owner is Meta’s spokesperson who said, the law will be respected but it was “concerned” about the process, which “rushed the legislation through while failing to properly consider the evidence, what industry already does to ensure age-appropriate experiences, and the voices of young people.”
“The task now turns to ensuring there is productive consultation on all rules associated with the Bill to ensure a technically feasible outcome that does not place a onerous burden on parents and teens and a commitment that rules will be consistently applied across all social apps used by teens,” the spokesperson added.
SaharaReporters
