Australia's PM wants social media age restrictions so kids can get offline and have 'real experiences'

Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has called for the nation to support an age verification bill aimed at protecting kids from the hazards of social media and exposure to inappropriate content.

Albanese said the parliament will introduce legislation by the end of the year that would require a minimum age for kids to go on social media and other digital platforms.

It's expected the new legislation would require platforms to offer kids of a certain age (still to be decided) the ability to create accounts that would limit access to content deemed harmful to their physical beings, social development, and mental health.

“This one is for the mums and dads,” Albanese said in a video posted on X Tuesday, attempting to rally public support.

“I want kids to have a childhood and parents to have peace of mind. I want them off their devices. I want them on the footy field and onto the netball courts. I want them to have real experiences with real people,” he said.

I want children to have a childhood and parents to have peace of mind. pic.twitter.com/ag2u52Bpui

undefined Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) September 9, 2024

The Prime Minister – backed by the left-leaning Australian Labor Party – said the soon-to-be proposed measure is all about supporting parents and keeping kids safe.

“Safeguarding children from accessing harmful and inappropriate material online, specifically pornography, has been an area of longstanding government and parliamentary focus, “ the Parliament of Australia states on its website.

Children, online safety, and age verification

A career politician, Albanese was elected to his first government position back in 1996 as a member of Australia's House of Representatives, and as the nation's Prime Minister in 2022.

The bill would be an expansion of the nation’s first online safety bill – Enhancing Online Safety Act – passed in 2015, along with the creation of Australia's first eSafety Commissioner to enforce it.

Although the most recent iteration (passed in 2021) currently mandates the use of “restricted access systems” for sensitive content such as pornography and other harmful material, the current Online Safety Act only covers websites and platforms originating from Australia.

The new legislation would require age assurance systems for any online service or social media platform “so far as it provided to end users in Australia.”

The bill would also protect children, not just from age-inappropriate content, but also from communication with strangers, addictive design features, recommender algorithms, and data collection, the government's website said.

We’ll legislate a minimum age for social media to keep children safe.

undefined Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) September 9, 2024

Age assurance pilot program

Parliamentary reports have cited examples of other online safety legislation and industry codes to protect children already enacted by fellow Five Eyes countries, including the US, the UK, New Zealand, and Canada, as well as legislation from Singapore, the European Union, and France.

“A common feature among many international regulations is the use of age verification to provide modified accounts to children,” the Parliament noted.

Last month, the government released a 25-page report on the matter titled “Children’s online safety legislation and regulations – a backgrounder,” providing an overview of the parliament's approach to how it will create the legislation.

One of the challenges facing the government, the report stated, is that currently there is no technology to actually apply and enforce the new restrictions.

Still, officials say because of the rise of international interest in age-assurance technologies, the evolution of robust age-assurance processes by online companies is “‘immature but developing.”

In May, the Parliament of Australia funded its own 'age assurance pilot program' to foster the technology creation, and test how well it works “before being mandated.”

Australia’s Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, and the Arts will undertake the research to determine the potential age limits.

“Parents tell me they’re worried about what age their kids should be on social media,” Albanese said.