Amid growing concern over impact of social media on the mental and physical health of children, Australia is planning to set a minimum age limit for children. Notably, this has sparked severe backlash for the digital rights advocates who warned that the measure could drive dangerous online activity underground.
Australia to Trial Age Verification for Social Media Ahead of Possible Age Restrictions
As per the PM of Australia, Anthony Albanese, his center-left government would run an age verification trial before introducing age minimum laws for social media this year.
Though there was no mention of age, but it is believed to be between 14 and 16.
Prime Minister said that “I want to see kids off their devices and onto the footy fields and the swimming pools and the tennis courts”. He added that “We want them to have real experiences with real people because we know that social media is causing social harm”.
If Australia implements such a measure, then it would become among first of the countries in the world to impose an age restriction on social media.
In the previous attempts, including by the European Union, have failed following complaints about reducing the online rights of minors.
Meta (META.O), opens new tab, owner of Facebook and Instagram, which has a self-imposed minimum age of 13, said it wanted to empower young people to benefit from its platforms and equip parents with the tools to support them “instead of just cutting off access”.
As per the tech industry figures, Australia is amongst top countries in the world with most people out of entire populations to have online social media presence. 80% of its 26 million people are on social media. 75% of Australians aged 12 to 17 had used YouTube or Instagram, a 2023 University of Sydney study found.
Australia’s Social Media Age Restriction Proposal Sparks Debate Amid Concerns from Experts and Regulators
It was against the backdrop of a parliamentary inquiry into the social media’s effects on society, that the Prime Minister announced the age restriction. The inquiry heard sometimes emotional testimony of poor mental health impacts on teenagers.
Daniel Angus, director of the Queensland University of Technology Digital Media Research Centre said that the “This knee-jerk move … threatens to create serious harm by excluding young people from meaningful, healthy participation in the digital world, potentially driving them to lower quality online spaces”.
The eSafety Commissioner, which is Australia’s own internet regulator, warned in a June submission to the inquiry that “restriction-based approaches may limit young people’s access to critical support” and push them to “less regulated non-mainstream services”.
In a statement, the commissioner said that it would “continue working with stakeholders across government and the community to further refine Australia’s approach to online harms” which can “threaten safety across a range of platforms at any age, both before and after the mid-teen years”.
An industry body representing social media platforms names DIGI has further said the government should listen to the “expert voices such as the eSafety Commissioner, mental health experts, as well as LGBTQIA+ and other marginalized groups who have expressed concerns about bans so that we’re not unintentionally pushing our kids into unsafe, less visible parts of the Internet”.
