Australia’s government has said it will introduce world-leading legislation to ban children under 16 years from social media.
Gatekeepers News reports that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the proposed laws which will be tabled in parliament next week, were aimed at reducing the effect of social media on children in the country.
He said, “This one is for the mums and dads… They, like me, are worried sick about the safety of our kids online. I want Australian families to know that the government has your back.”
The prime minister however noted that the ban would not apply to young people already on social media.
He said there will also be no exemptions on age limit for children who have consent from their parents adding that the onus would be on social media platforms to show they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access.
Albanese notes that there would be no penalties for social media users and that it would be up to Australia’s online regulator – the eSafety Commissioner to enforce the laws.
