Australia to ban social media use for kids under THIS age to tackle mental health crisis

Australia on Tuesday (Sep 10) announced its plan to introduce a ban on children using social media platforms, citing concerns over the risks these sites pose to their physical and mental health.

Minimum age for social media use

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that an age-verification trial would be run, but that the law would likely set between 14 and 16 years old as a minimum age for social media use.

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He said he favours a ban on social media use by children aged below 16.

"I want to see kids off their devices and onto the footy fields and the swimming pools and the tennis courts," he said, describing social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok as a "scourge".

"This is a scourge. We know that there is mental health consequences for what many of the young people have had to deal with," he said in a conversation with national broadcaster ABC.

He also said that "We want them to have real experiences with real people because we know that social media is causing social harm."

Path-breaking decision

This move would place Australia among the first countries to impose such a restriction, though previous attempts elsewhere, such as in the European Union, have faced challenges and failed due to concerns over limiting minors' online rights.

The proposal has faced scrutiny regarding the feasibility of enforcing age restrictions online.

Toby Murray from the University of Melbourne noted that current age verification methods are "unreliable, too easy to circumvent, or risk user privacy".

Daniel Angus, from the Queensland University of Technology, argues that an age limit might not address underlying issues, and it "threatens to create serious harm by excluding young people from meaningful, healthy participation in the digital world."

(With inputs from agencies)