KUALA LUMPUR – Australia is looking to impose a ban on children’s use of social media, citing concerns that platforms like Instagram and TikTok are having detrimental effects on the physical and mental well-being of young users.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Tuesday that the government would soon initiate an age verification trial, with legislation expected to follow.
The proposal includes setting a minimum age limit, potentially ranging between 14 and 16 years old, Al-Jazeera reported.
Albanese highlighted the growing anxiety among parents regarding their children’s social media habits, noting they are “worried sick” and navigating this issue “without a map.”
“Parents want their kids off their phones and on the footy field. So do I,” Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“We are taking this action because enough is enough.”
Opposition leader Peter Dutton, who heads the centre-right Liberal Party, has also shown support for the idea of barring social media access for those under 16.
Australia’s proposal comes on the heels of similar legislative efforts in China, France, and parts of the United States, where governments have introduced restrictions to address concerns over issues like cyberbullying and the promotion of unrealistic beauty ideals on social platforms.
However, critics have raised concerns about such measures infringing upon young people’s freedom of expression and creating privacy risks.
Daniel Angus, a digital communication professor at Queensland University of Technology, condemned the proposed ban as “reckless” and “misguided,” warning it could do more harm than good.
“Excluding young people from healthy engagement in the digital world could drive them towards lower quality online spaces, severing important social connections,” Angus said in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday. “Moreover, large platforms would avoid accountability for improving content quality, as this approach merely places a gate at the entrance without addressing what lies beyond.”
In April this year, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) reminded parents to ensure that their children under 13 do not own any social media accounts.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said this was because the commission found that it was not appropriate for children under 13 to use any social media.
The unity government spokesman said that most social media platforms did not permit teens of such age to sign up for an account.
At the time, Fahmi said that social media platform leave account registration to users fully without any way of proving their age met the necessary requirements and his ministry has held a series of meetings with relevant parties, including Meta — owner of Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp — and Telegram, to present their plans to tackle the ownership of social media accounts among children under 13. – September 10, 2024