Asia-Pacific

Australia’s Social Media Ban for Under-16s Kicks In

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By Kris Ma/Irene Lin

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Australia’s ban on social media for minors under the age of 16 has taken effect, with over a million accounts presumably owned by these young users suspended.

REPORTER:  

Hi there students, it's the Prime Minister here, and I want to speak to you directly about something very important.

 

A personal message to kids in Australia from prime minister Anthony Albanese himself, as over a million children and teenagers under the age of 16 have their accounts suspended across ten popular social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Tiktok.

 

It’s a move that Albanese says will benefit the younger generation.

 

You'll know better than anyone what it's like growing up with algorithms, endless feeds and the pressure that can come with that. That's why we've taken this step to support you.

 

Australia’s social media ban, the world’s first for teens under 16, took effect on Wednesday.

 

Albanese says the goal is to take back control over the negative impacts of social media. His administration said it’s looking to ban any alternative platforms once teens get on them.

 

And he’s got support from some citizens and parents.

 

We’d always regulated media in the public interest and I think what the government is trying to do is to return some of the public interest. That’s a good thing, because as I say there have been harms.

 

Still, many say it’s a blanket ban that doesn’t fit everyone and it’s futile trying to keep kids offline.

 

When it’s a blanket decision, it doesn’t take into account nuance and the variables and people’s individual situations and frankly people tend to find a way around bans, if they really want to.

 

Most of these platforms have agreed to comply with Australia’s new age restriction by guessing the user’s age based on their online activity and selfies, as well as checking linked documents and bank information as references.

 

Australia is not the only country that has problems with social media platforms for kids.

 

Like Australia, Taiwan has tried to battle against harmful content on social media.

 

Lawmakers and civil society groups in Taiwan have called for TikTok to stop collecting personal data from minors and feeding them harmful content.

 

The government also rolled out a year-long ban on Chinese platform Xiaohongshu due to rampant fraud.

 

Despite Taiwan and Australia’s different approaches, the two countries share a common goal: to protect the younger generation from online harm.

 

Kris Ma and Irene Lin for TaiwanPlus.