Australia’s Australian parliament today (27/11) gave the green light to a bill that would ban minors under the age of 16 from accessing social networking sites. The bill will now be debated in the Senate.

Under this proposal, which was promoted by Prime Minister Anthony Albanesi, platforms such as X (Twitter), TikTok, Facebook and Instagram should take steps to prevent young people under the age of 16 from gaining access. If they fail to comply, they will face fines that could be as high as €31 million.

Many platforms have denounced a “hasty” decision, expressing “serious concerns” about the “unforeseen consequences” it could have.

The bill was passed by 102 votes to 13 against. It has not yet been determined when it will be debated in the Senate.
Before the vote, Albanesi said social media is “a platform that fosters social pressures, a stress machine, a channel for scammers and, worst of all, a tool for online predators.”

Australia is at the forefront of countries taking steps to protect children on the internet. The proposed age limit is among the world’s strictest, but how the proposals will be implemented remains unclear.

The text, after being amended by parliament, will henceforth require tech giants to ask their young users for an identity document proving their age. If the bill is eventually approved, companies will have a year to implement the measures.

Some analysts, however, express doubts about whether an age-based access ban is technically possible. Digital communications professor at the University of Sydney Terry Flieu said it was likely the bill might end up being a “token move”.

‘Blocking’ children

Many countries and territories have already decided to set a minimum age for access to the platforms. In Florida, a law that will go into effect in January bans young people under 14 from opening an account, but it is currently unclear how this will be done.

In Spain, the government introduced a similar bill in June, which has yet to be debated. It provides for a ban on access to minors under the age of 16.

China, from 2021, has placed restrictions on access for minors and requires verification of their age by showing ID. Children under 14 are not allowed to spend more than 40 minutes a day on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) and the time children and teens spend on online games is limited.