MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian states and territories unanimously backed a national plan Friday requiring most forms of social media kids bar under 16 years old.

Leaders of eight provinces held a virtual meeting with the Prime Minister Antoine Albanais to discuss what he calls a world-first national approach that would put platforms like X, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook in charge of enforcing the age limit.

“Social media is causing social harm to our young Australians,” Albanese told reporters. “The safety and mental health of our young people must be a priority. »

Government leaders had been discussing setting a limit for months, considering options ranging from 14 to 16 years.

While Tasmania would have preferred 14, the state was prepared to support 16 in the interest of achieving national uniformity, Albanese said.

A young girl uses her phone while sitting on a bench in Sydney, Friday, November 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Rick Rycroft

The legislation will be presented to Parliament within two weeks and the age ban will come into force a year after it is passed, giving platforms time to figure out how to exclude children. The government has not yet proposed a technical solution.

The delay is also intended to allow time to address privacy concerns related to age verification.

The main opposition party has given its support in principle for the 16-year-old age limit since its announcement on Thursday, suggesting the bill will pass the Senate.

The small Greens party was critical, saying the ban would prevent future child environmental activists like the one from Sweden from emerging in Australia. Greta Thunberg.

More than 140 academics with expertise in areas related to technology and child protection, signed an open letter to Albanese last month opposing an age limit on social media, considering it “an instrument too brutal to effectively manage risks.

Critics say most teens are tech-savvy enough to get around these laws. Some fear the ban will create conflict within families and drive social media issues underground.

Metawhich owns Facebook and Instagram, says more powerful tools in app stores and operating systems that allow parents to control which apps their children can use would be a “simple and effective solution.”

The government is comparing the proposed age limit on social media to laws that restrict the sale of alcohol to adults aged 18 and over across Australia. Children still find ways to drink, but the ban remains.

“We believe these laws will make a real, positive difference,” Albanese said.

But Lisa Given, professor of information science at RMIT University, described the legislation as “really problematic”.

“A lot of our social media is actually about providing extremely critical information to children,” Given told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

“There’s no doubt that they also face bullying and other challenges online, but they actually need social support to know how to navigate platforms safely. single or multiple platforms,” added Given.

Tama Leaver, professor of internet studies at Curtin University, described the government’s plan to remove 14 and 15-year-olds from their already established social media accounts as “strange”.

“If you’ve already developed this space in this world, removing it could actually do as much harm as the damage that’s supposed to be repaired,” Leaver said.

“There are so many questions about this that remain unanswered, but even if we had solid answers about how this could work technically and how it could be implemented socially, it’s still hard to believe that this would guarantee truly safe for children online,” he added.

Minister of Communications Michelle Rowland said children would retain access to education and health services online.

The legislation would also include strong privacy protections regarding age verification.

“Privacy should be paramount, including that of children,” Rowland said. “We also need to be very clear about the realities. These platforms know their users like no one else.

Rowland said YouTube would likely be included among the mainstream platforms defined by the legislation as age-restricted services.

But YouTube Kids could be exempt. Gaming and messaging services would not be subject to age restrictions, she said:

“This legislation would strike a balance between minimizing harm to young people during a critical period of their development while promoting their access to benefits,” Rowland said.

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