Australia to ban children under 16 from social media – prime minister

[Lee]

 

Quote

 

SYDNEY  — Australia will move to pass new laws banning children under 16 years old from social media, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Thursday, vowing to crack down on tech companies failing to protect young users.

“This one is for the mums and dads. Social media is doing real harm to kids and I’m calling time on it,” he told reporters.

Albanese first mooted a social media age limit earlier this year, but it is the first time he has put a firm number on it.

Tech giants and social media platforms will bear the responsibility for ensuring users are old enough, Albanese said, rather than parents who were “worried sick about the safety of their kids online”. (If parents don't buy their kids a smart phone---problem solved.)

“The onus will not be on parents or young people. There will be no penalties for users.”

Earlier proposals to introduce a social media age limit have enjoyed broad bipartisan support in Australia.

Albanese said the new laws would be presented to state and territory leaders this week, before being introduced to parliament in late November.

Australia to ban children under 16 from social media – prime minister

 

 

[BrettGC]

They announced this little thought bubble a couple of months ago.  Today's announcement just confirms it.  Facebook/Instagram (same company) will probably just do what they did when Australia tried to ban "fake news" on social media a couple of years ago:  Not allow any news at all on Facebook or Instagram in Australia.  The Australian government caved in the end.  As for Tik-Tok or X/Twitter?  Tik-Tok is Chinese so they're just as likely to just say "whatever".  Elon owns X and he'll probably just shrug his shoulders as he dives into his piles of money Scrooge McDuck style. 

It was the Morrison government (conservative - weirdly called the Liberal Party in Australia) that tried the "fake news" thing.  It's the Albanese government (centrists - the Labor Party) trying the age thing.  They don't have the balance of power in the senate but unfortunately the conservatives have agreed to back it as well.  

Whilst I agree with the sentiment, I don't think the any government has any place interfering at all.  Parents putting age restriction safety apps on their kids' smart phones would probably be more appropriate; there's plenty of them out there. Just do a Google search for "How do I stop my children from seeing inappropriate content on their phone". 

[JJReyes]

How are you going to enforce the ban?  Kids are smarter than politicians.

[GeoffH]

This will be an ineffectual mess and it'll cost a crap load of dollars.

[BrettGC]

7 hours ago, GeoffH said:

This will be an ineffectual mess and it'll cost a crap load of dollars.

Yep.  Like I said, thought bubble. 

[Lee]

7 hours ago, GeoffH said:

This will be an ineffectual mess and it'll cost a crap load of dollars.

Parents monitoring/restricting their own children's internet usage should be cost free. 

[Mike J]

I see this any time I go anywhere in the Philippines.  Is it the same, better, worse in other countries?

[Guy F.]

14 hours ago, JJReyes said:

How are you going to enforce the ban?  Kids are smarter than politicians.

Kids are also smarter than many software developers. I know of a case in which it was easy to circumvent a program designed to block porn. No, it wasn't me... nuh uh... I'm a saint.

[BrettGC]

1 hour ago, Mike J said:

I see this any time I go anywhere in the Philippines.  Is it the same, better, worse in other countries?

Same in Australia.  Phones, tablets and PCs are the new babysitters even when the parents are home. 

6 minutes ago, Guy F. said:

Kids are also smarter than many software developers. I know of a case in which it was easy to circumvent a program designed to block porn. No, it wasn't me... nuh uh... I'm a saint.

True enough but it can be made very difficult these days.  Only allowing use within sight would be a start; it's what my brother does with his boys. 

[Old55]

1 hour ago, Mike J said:

I see this any time I go anywhere in the Philippines.  Is it the same, better, worse in other countries?

Typical here in the States.