Australia Bans Social Media for Under-16s
Australia has passed a law banning access to social networks for citizens under 16 years of age.
The head of government, Anthony Albanese, announced the innovation, which clearly did not please local children.
The Prime Minister called the law he adopted “cutting edge for the entire world,” TASS reports .
It introduces changes to current legislation governing online safety that will provide greater protection for young Australians at critical stages of their development, the politician explained.
In addition, he said, Australia would require technology companies and social media platforms to take reasonable steps to ensure that users under 16 cannot create accounts and pages.
The government has provided strict punishment for violating the new law.
And if the offender is a digital platform, it could be fined around AUD 49.5 million (over AUD 32 million).
The Prime Minister noted that the law applies to Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram* and X.
Google Classroom and YouTube, some messengers and online games remain available to Australian children.
For reference
Australia is a country in the Southern Hemisphere, occupying the continent of the same name, the island of Tasmania and several other islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans; it is the sixth largest country in the world by area.
*The social network belongs to the Meta corporation, which is recognized in Russia as an extremist organization and is banned in the Russian Federation
