Australia will from December 10 force social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok to remove users under the age of 16, slapping hefty fines of up to A$49.5 million if they fail to do so.
Streaming platform Kick and online forum Reddit will also be included in the new legislation, Minister for Communications Anika Wells said on Wednesday.
“Online platforms use technology to target children with chilling control,” Wells told reporters.
“We are merely asking they use that same technology to keep children safe online,” she said.
“We want children to have a childhood and we want parents to have peace of mind.”
There is keen interest in whether Australia’s sweeping restrictions can work as regulators around the globe wrestle with the dangers of social media.
On paper, the ban is one of the strictest in the world.
But some experts are concerned that the law will be merely symbolic.
So far, platforms like Roblox, Discord and WhatsApp will not be banned, but streaming site Twitch is under review.
But Wells said the list of banned platforms was not static and could change.
And eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said while age restrictions were one “really potent solution” to stopping social media harm, they were not a quick fix.
Social media companies have previously described the laws as “vague”, “problematic” and “rushed”.
The government said earlier this year social media giants will not be required to verify the ages of all users, but must take “reasonable steps” to detect and deactivate underage ones. (AFP)
