The Australian Parliament approved on Thursday a social media ban for children under 16 years old, marking the first country in the world to set such a restriction.
The law will require platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, and Instagram to implement robust age-verification systems to prevent kids from creating accounts, or face fines up to 50M Australian dollars.
The ban does not apply to “messaging apps, gaming platforms, or educational services” including YouTube, Messenger Kids, WhatsApp, Kids Helpline and Google Classroom.
Wait, so YouTube and WhatsApp are educational services, but TikTok and Snapchat are social media?
Doesn't WhatsApp have status updates, and YouTube has shortform videos? Honestly what's the difference between YouTube and TikTok in terms of content served to children?
Proponents of the law say:
“Platforms now have a social responsibility to ensure the safety of our kids is a priority for them.” – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
“This is a responsibility these companies should have been fulfilling long ago, but for too long they have shirked these responsibilities in favor of profit.” – Sen. Maria Kovacic
Sonya Ryan, whose 15-year-old daughter Carly was murdered by a 50-year-old pedophile who pretended to be a teenager online, described the Senate vote as a “monumental moment in protecting our children from horrendous harms online.”
Opponents of the law say:
“We are 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.” – Meta
“The social media ban legislation has been released and passed within a week and, as a result, no one can confidently explain how it will work in practice – the community and platforms are in the dark about what exactly is required of them.” – Sunita Bose, managing director of Digital Industry Group, Inc.
“This policy will hurt vulnerable young people the most, especially in regional communities and especially the LGBTQI community, by cutting them off.” – Sen. David Shoebridge
“The government is running blindfolded into a brick wall by rushing this legislation. Young Australians deserve evidence-based policies, not decisions made in haste.” – Christopher Stone, executive director of Suicide Prevention Australia
What comes next?
Social media companies have one year to work out how to implement the ban before penalties are enforced.
Well, congratulations I guess to all Australian parents who no longer have to protect or parent their children, as the responsibility has been abdicated to Big Tech.