In late November 2024, the Australian parliament passed a law banning the use of social media by children under the age of 16. The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, says the new law was written to protect the mental health of young Australians . However, a new report from the country’s internet safety regulator shows that children can easily bypass the minimum age requirements imposed by social media platforms in Australia.
The ESafety report combined the results of a national survey on social media use by children aged eight to 15, along with responses from eight services, including YouTube, Facebook and Twitch .
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The Australian Prime Minister argues that the ban is necessary because children under 16 are more easily influenced by social media. They are at an age when many changes are happening in their lives and they are not yet fully mature. The ban is set to come into effect at the end of 2025.
Social media companies largely block people under the age of 13 from accessing platforms . However, the Australian government believes this is not enough and that the limit should include children up to 16 years old.
The regulator's new report found that 80% of Australian children aged eight to 12 were using social media in 2024, with YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat being the most popular services.
Furthermore, 95% of teenagers under 16 used at least one of the eight services surveyed.
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The report found that all services, except Reddit, required a date of birth at the sign-up stage. However, all relied on the user's self-declaration, without implementing other age verification tools.
“There is still significant work to be done by all social media platforms that rely on a simple statement to determine age,” said eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant.
While TikTok, Twitch, Snapchat and YouTube used tools to proactively identify users under 13, others did not do so despite having the technology available, the report says.
However, it appears that most social media companies are investigating ways to improve age verification regulations, shortly before the ban is implemented in Australia.
Under the law, platforms must ban young users from accessing their services. Failure to do so could result in fines of up to AU$50 million($32 million). No details are given on how companies must act, only that they must take reasonable steps to ensure their users are 16 or older. Details will be released later, after testing of an age-verification technology is complete.
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However, there is a backlash against the new law. Academics, politicians and rights groups have warned that banning social media for children under 16 could create bigger problems. Teenagers may turn to more dangerous parts of the internet. They may also feel more isolated. Many believe the process was too rushed, and there are also concerns about the methods social media platforms will use to prove users’ ages.
On the other hand, a YouGov survey in November showed that 77% of Australians supported the ban.
Source: www.reuters.com
