A law that should be global according to many parents. Australia has just adopted a bill that bans the use of social networks for young Australians under the age of 16. An initiative with serious consequences which has not stopped generating talk from one side or the other.
A historic first
Australia has officially voted to definitively ban social networks for children under 16. This law, approved by Australian lawmakers, aims to protect the mental health of younger generations. A historic decision, although contested by the companies responsible for social networks. A recent poll indicates that 77% of Australians were in favor of these new measures.
Affected businesses have 12 months to comply with the new requirements. In the event of non-compliance, they risk fines of several million dollars imposed by the government. All responsibility for putting in place an effective system to prevent Australian children under the age of 16 from accessing platforms will fall on the companies. Children and their parents will not be punished by law.
At the moment, no specific platform is mentioned in the law. However, it is obvious that TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, X, Facebook, and other similar social networks will be affected. On the other hand, services like YouTube and WhatsApp should escape this rule, their primary function not being that of a social network.
The companies involved were quick to react, as expected. Elon Musk, CEO of X, talks about freedom of speech and suggests that this measure allows the Australian government to better control the Internet as a whole. Meta, for his part, described this initiative as “incoherent” and “ineffective”. The others should not delay in issuing a press release. The year 2025 therefore promises to be tense on Australian social networks. TikTok will also ban beauty filters for minors soon.
Statement from Anthony Albanese, Australian Prime Minister:
We want Australian children to have a childhood, and we want parents to know the government is in their corner.
We know some kids will find workarounds, but we’re sending a message to social media companies to clean up their act.
