Sydney: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Thursday that the Australian government will introduce legislation to prohibit social media for those under 16, describing it as a pioneering set of measures that may be enacted by late next year.
Australia is testing an age-verification system to help prevent children from accessing social media, as part of a series of initiatives that feature some of the strictest regulations enforced by any nation so far.
Albanese highlighted the dangers to children's physical and mental health due to excessive social media use, especially the threats to girls from damaging body image representations and misogynistic material directed at boys.
Several nations have pledged to limit children's use of social media via laws, although Australia's approach is among the most strict.
Up to now, no jurisdiction has attempted to implement age verification methods such as biometrics or government IDs to enforce a social media age limit, which are two of the methods currently being tested.
Australia's other unprecedented proposals include the highest age limit established by any nation, the absence of exceptions for parental consent, and no exemptions for pre-existing accounts.
This year, legislation will be presented in the Australian parliament, and the laws will take effect one year after being approved by legislators, Albanese stated.
The Liberal Party in opposition has shown backing for a prohibition. No exceptions will be made for children with parental approval or those who already possess accounts.
Last year, France suggested prohibiting social media access for individuals younger than 15, although users could bypass the restriction with parental approval.
For many years, the United States has mandated that tech firms obtain parental permission to access information from children under 13, resulting in most social media sites prohibiting this age group from using their platforms.
