Australia gets serious

Social media ban for under 16s decided

The new rules oblige operators of online networks to introduce effective age checks.

(Bild: Xavier Lorenzo - stock.adobe.com)

Australia is banning children and young people under the age of 16 from accessing TikTok, Instagram & Co. This means that in future the continent will have the highest age limit ever set for the use of social media.

The Senate passed a law to this effect on Thursday, after the House of Representatives had already approved it with an overwhelming majority on Wednesday. The government in Canberra justifies its initiative by stating that the excessive use of such platforms poses risks to the physical and mental health of children.

The new rules, which are expected to come into force in twelve months, oblige operators of online networks to introduce effective age checks. Systematic violations could result in fines of up to 31 million euros.

Facebook parent company Meta and Alphabet subsidiary Google had appealed to parliament to postpone the vote until the last minute. The government should first wait for the results of a pilot project on age verification, which are expected in mid-2025.

Heated debates
The passing of the law was preceded by heated debates. The Senate session lasted until shortly before midnight local time. The decision was made just under an hour before the official end of the parliamentary year in Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government wants to use the initiative to improve its chances of re-election in May 2025.

Young people fear social isolation
According to recent surveys, a good three quarters of Australians are in favor of the social media ban. The young people affected, however, fear social isolation if they are cut off from their most important communication channels.