Australia advocates a ban on social media for children under 16 and the introduction of age verification using biometrics

Australia advocates a ban on social media for children under 16 and the introduction of age verification using biometrics

Kyiv  •  UNN

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The Australian government has introduced a bill to ban social media for people under 16. Violators face fines of up to USD 32 million and the introduction of biometric verification.

Australia has unveiled a bill to ban social media for children under the age of 16. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.

Details

On Thursday, the Australian government, which represents a center-left political force, presented a bill that could become one of the world's toughest in terms of regulating access to social media for children. According to the document, it is planned to prohibit the use of social media platforms by persons under the age of 16. In addition, the draft law provides for fines for companies operating such platforms in the amount of up to A$49.5 million (approximately USD 32 million) for systemic violations.

One of the key parts of the initiative is the creation of an age verification system that will include the use of biometric data or official government identification. These measures are designed to ensure that age restrictions are met when users register. The Australian government believes that these initiatives will help protect children from potentially harmful content on the Internet and limit their access to social media.