Australia proposes banning people under 16 from using social networks

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged on November 7 to ban people under 16 from using social media, saying the widespread influence of platforms like Facebook and TikTok is "really damaging our children," according to AFP.

A new ban bill will be introduced to the Australian Parliament in late November. Once passed, tech platforms will be given a year to figure out how to implement the ban.

Prime Minister Albanese stressed that the tech giants would be responsible for enforcing the ban and face large fines if regulators found they had not taken reasonable steps to prevent under-16s from accessing social media. “The responsibility will not fall on parents or young people,” Mr Albanese added.

Prime Minister Albanese

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said it would “respect any age restrictions that governments decide to impose”. However, Antigone Davis, Meta’s head of safety, said Australia should think carefully about how to implement the restriction. Davis said poorly drafted legislation “risks making us feel better, like we’ve taken action, but young people and parents won’t find themselves in a better place”.

Australia is among the pioneers in efforts to clean up social media and the proposed age limit would be one of the world's strictest measures aimed at children, according to AFP.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/uc-de-xuat-cam-nguoi-duoi-16-tuoi-dung-mang-xa-hoi-185241107222939628.htm