(Source: Reuters)

The Australian government has announced it will introduce “world-leading” legislation to ban children under 16 from accessing social media.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the proposed laws, due to be tabled in Parliament next week, aimed to alleviate the “harm” social media inflicts on Australian children.

“This one is for moms and dads…They, like me, are worried about our children’s safety online. I want Australian families to know that the government has your back,” he said.

Although many details are still up for debate, the government has said the ban will not apply to young people already on social media.

There will be no exemption from the age limit for children who have parental consent. The government says the onus will be on social media platforms to show they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access.

Albanese said there would be no penalties for users and it would be up to Australia’s online regulator – the Electronic Safety Commissioner – to enforce the laws.

The law would take effect 12 months after its passage and would be subject to review once in force.

While most experts agree that social media platforms can harm teens’ mental health, many are divided on the effectiveness of trying to ban them all together.

Some experts say the bans only delay young people’s exposure to apps like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, instead of teaching them how to navigate complex online spaces.

Previous attempts to restrict access, including by the European Union, have failed or made implementation difficult given that there are tools to circumvent age verification requirements.

One of Australia’s largest children’s rights groups has criticized the proposed ban, calling it “too brutal an instrument”.

In an open letter sent to the government in October, signed by more than 100 academics and 20 civil society organizations, Australia’s Child Rights Working Group called on Albanese to instead consider imposing “safety standards » on social media platforms.

The group also highlighted the UN’s advice that “national policies” designed to regulate online spaces “should aim to provide children with opportunities to benefit from engagement in the digital environment and to ensure their safe access.

But other local activists have lobbied the Australian government for the laws, saying bans are necessary to protect children from harmful content, misinformation, harassment and other social pressures.

A petition from the 36Months initiative, which has more than 125,000 signatures, claims that children “are not yet ready to navigate online social media safely” until at least 16 years old, and that currently “the “Excessive use of social media rewires young brains in a critical window of psychological development.” development, causing an epidemic of mental illness.”

Asked whether broader efforts should be made to educate children on how to understand the benefits and risks of being online, Albanese said such an approach would be insufficient because it “assumes a equal power relationship.

“I don’t know about you, but things are showing up on my system that I don’t want to see. Not to mention a vulnerable 14-year-old,” he told reporters on Thursday.

“These tech companies are incredibly powerful. These apps have algorithms that push people toward certain behaviors.