Australia has approved the world's toughest ban on social networks for children under 16

Australia will ban children under the age of 16 from using social networks after its Senate approved the strictest legislation in the world, writes UNN with reference to the BBC.

Details

The ban, which will take effect no earlier than 12 months from now, could lead to fines for technology companies of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($32.5 million; 25.7 million pounds) if they do not comply with it.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanisi said the legislation was necessary to protect young people from the "harm" of social media, which was supported by many parent groups.

But critics say questions about how the ban will work, and its impact on privacy and social connections, have gone unanswered.

This is not the first attempt to globally restrict children's use of social media, but it implies the highest age limit set by any country and does not provide exceptions for existing users or those with parental consent.

"This is a global problem and we want young Australians to have a childhood, in fact," Albanisi said while introducing the bill in the lower house last week. "We want the parents to be calm.

Passed by the Senate by 34 votes to 19 late on Thursday, the bill will return to the House of Representatives, where the government has a majority, which means that it will definitely be passed to approve amendments before becoming law, the newspaper notes.

The bill does not specify which platforms will be banned. These decisions will be made later by the Australian Minister of Communications, who will seek advice from the Commissioner for Electronic Security, the Internet regulator that will ensure compliance with the rules.

The exceptions are gaming and messaging platforms, as well as sites that can be accessed without an account, i.e. YouTube, for example, will most likely not be affected.

The government says that whether it will rely on some form of age verification technology to implement the restrictions will be tested in the coming months, as will the options. Social media platforms should add these processes themselves.

However, digital researchers cautioned that there is no guarantee that an unspecified technology that may rely on biometric data or identity information will work. Critics also demanded guarantees that privacy would be protected.

They also warned that restrictions can be easily circumvented using tools such as VPNs, which can hide a user's location and make it appear that they are logging in from another country.

However, children who find ways to circumvent the rules will not be penalized.

Polls on the reforms, although limited, show that they are supported by the majority of Australian parents and guardians.

But many experts say the ban is "too crude a tool" to effectively address the risks associated with using social media, and warn that it could eventually push children into less regulated corners of the internet.

During the short consultation period before the bill was passed, Google and Snap criticized the bill for not providing more detailed information, and Meta said the bill would be "ineffective" and would not meet the stated goal of giving children more security.

In a statement, TikTok pointed out that the government's definition of a social media platform was so "broad and unclear" that "almost every online service may fall under [it].

X questioned the "legality" of the bill, saying it could be incompatible with international norms and human rights treaties that Australia has signed.

Some youth rights advocates have also accused the government of not fully understanding the role of social media in their lives and excluding them from the debate.

Albanizi acknowledged that the debate was difficult, but strongly defended the bill.

Addition

Last year, France introduced a law blocking access to social networks for children under 15 without parental consent, although research shows that almost half of users were able to circumvent the ban using a VPN.

The law in the US state of Utah, which was similar to the Australian one, was overturned by a federal judge who found it unconstitutional.

World leaders are following the laws of Australia with great interest.

Norway recently promised to follow in the country's footsteps, and last week the UK's technology minister said a similar ban was "being considered" - although he later added: "not... for now.