Australia is preparing to implement new minimum age restrictions for children’s access to social media, proposing that children under the age of 14 be prohibited from using these platforms.
On September 10, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that his government intends to establish a nationwide age limit for social media access. However, a definitive age limit has yet to be determined.
A report by High Court Chief Justice Robert French suggests setting the age limit at 14. Nevertheless, the Prime Minister expressed his “personal view” that the minimum age should be established at 16.
The government is currently awaiting the conclusion of an age-verification trial, which is nearing its final testing phase. Albanese stated that they will finalize the age limit once the trial concludes.
Overview of Australia’s Child Social Media Ban
The initiative for this ban originated from South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, who tasked French with drafting legislation to establish a minimum age for social media access.
X (Twitter) will be among various social media platforms required to implement age verification systems in Australia.
In French’s report, he proposed a bill that would prohibit any child under 14 from accessing social media, while children aged 14 or 15 would need parental consent.
The proposed legislation places obligations on social media platforms to create new systems that prevent underage children from accessing their services and ensure parental consent is acquired.
The age-verification trial that Albanese’s legislation is awaiting was announced in May, initially focusing on restricting access to adult content.
In July, the trial broadened its scope to also cover the prevention of children accessing social media sites, but has not yet established a suitable minimum age or provided details on enforcement methods.
In his announcement, Albanese emphasized the importance of reducing children’s screen time, stating, “I want to see kids off their devices and onto the footy fields and the swimming pools and the tennis courts; we want them to have real experiences with real people.”
He added, “Because we know that social media is causing social harm. This is a scourge, and we know that there are mental health consequences.”
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