Australia’s parliament considers legislation banning social media

AUSTRALIA: A bill to ban the use of social media by children under the age of 16 has been introduced in Parliament in Australia.

According to the report of the international news agency, under the proposed law, social media companies could be fined up to $32.5 million if they do not take appropriate measures to prevent children under the age of 16 from creating accounts.

The ban will apply to other social media platforms including X, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.

This law will come into effect within one year if the bill is passed by the Parliament.

Earlier, the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had said in a news conference that “social media is harming our children and I am asking for time on this.”

He cited the dangers posed to children’s physical and mental health by excessive use of social media, he said, particularly girls at risk of harmful depictions of their images and boys’ nasty comments.

He said that it is a matter of concern if 14-year-old children are receiving such harmful substances, because at this age they go through life changes and their thoughts mature, though. In this difficult time they have to listen and act.

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It should be noted that many countries have already legislated to curb children’s use of social media, but Australia’s policy is the strictest. No country has yet used biometrics or government identification for age verification