Australia passes landmark law banning under-16s from social media
manchestereveningnews.co.ukAustralian senators have passed a landmark law banning under-16s from social media. The law, which comes into force in November 2025, will see some of the strictest social media controls in the world and hold platforms liable for ensuring age verification factors are in place.
It's the first of it's kind blanket ban on children under 16 holding accounts on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X, and has generated global debate over the access children have to such platforms. READ MORE: Tragedy as missing woman, 82, found dead Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the legislation is needed to protect young people from the "harms" of social media.
But critics have called it 'rushed' and questioned the 'isolating' impact the bill could have on young people's mental health.
Sen. David Shoebridge, from the minority Greens party, said mental health experts agreed that the ban could dangerously isolate many children who used social media to find support. “This policy will hurt vulnerable young people the most, especially in regional communities and especially the LGBTQI community, by cutting them off,” Shoebridge told the Senate.
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