Australia to social media companies: be aware of substantial fines

Starting December 10th, Australia’s social minimum age restriction rules will go into effect. Companies that haven’t taken reasonable steps to ban children under the age of 16 from having social media accounts will be subject to hefty fines.

That’s what the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, said in a recently published press release.

After long and hard deliberation, in November 2024, Australia’s House of Representatives gave the green light for a bill banning the use of social media for users under the age of 16.

By adopting the social minimum age bill, Australia attempts to combat both the mental and physical effects of social media platforms, including social isolation, sleep interference, addictive behavior, and low self-esteem.

“I want to see kids off their devices and onto the footy fields and the swimming pools and the tennis courts. We want them to have real experiences with real people because we know that social media is causing social harm,” Prime Minister Albanese said right before the new legislation was adopted, emphasizing the importance of the bill.

A total of nine social media platforms are required to comply with the social minimum age restriction rules, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Kick, and Reddit.

Those who don’t are subjected to substantial fines of up to AUD$49.5 million.

“Our social media ban is about providing greater peace of mind for Australian parents. It’s also about making sure that Australian children have a childhood,” Prime Minister Albenese says in a press release.

“This will be a significant change, and change can be difficult, but Australians work best when we work together. It was parents who worked together to make this reform a reality, and it will be all Australians working together to make this a moment of national pride,” he continued.

Prime Minister Albanese is convinced that the new legislation will change and save lives. However, it remains to be seen how effective the new age restriction rules will be.

For example, young users can use a virtual private network, or VPN, to pretend they’re somewhere else to access their social media accounts. This is what happened in the United Kingdom in the days after the Online Safety Act went into effect to bypass the new age verification legislation.

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