In a move aimed at improving online safety for young Australians, the Australian government has introduced a groundbreaking amendment to the Online Safety Act, proposing a ban on social media access for children under the age of 16. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland champions the legislation, which aims to impose financial penalties on social media companies that do not comply with the new age restrictions. The government is framing the proposed reform as a world-first effort to protect children from online harms.
Introduced to Parliament on Thursday, the amendment imposes fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (approximately $32.5 million) on companies that fail to take “reasonable steps” to prevent children under 16 from accessing their platforms. The exact list of affected services has not been disclosed.
Minister Rowland emphasized the government’s commitment to safeguarding young people, stating, “This reform is about protecting young people and letting parents know we’ve got their backs.” She framed the legislation as a necessary step to shield young Australians from online risks, such as bullying, exploitation, and other harms, and to give parents greater confidence in the digital environment their children navigate.
The bill has garnered bipartisan support and, if passed, is set to come into effect in one year’s time. The legislation places the responsibility squarely on social media platforms to ensure that underage users are not able to create accounts or engage with their services. According to Rowland, “The legislation places the onus on social media platforms, not parents or children, to ensure protections are in place.”
The announcement of the proposed ban follows several tragic incidents in which young people have taken their own lives, with online bullying and abuse cited as significant contributing factors. The rise of social media platforms has also led to increasing concerns among parents, who have voiced their frustrations over the immense pressure their children face to engage online, often at the expense of their mental health.
Proponents of the bill, including many parents and campaigners for the digital safety of children, have welcomed the proposed legislation as a much-needed step to hold tech companies accountable for their role in facilitating access to potentially harmful content. They contend that the bill will establish a lucid structure for safeguarding children’s safety on social media, an area that regulators have long neglected.
However, critics of the legislation argue that the proposed age restriction could have unintended consequences, particularly for teenagers who may rely on social media to access crucial support networks. These critics contend that the blanket ban risks isolating young people from important online communities that provide emotional support and guidance, which could exacerbate the challenges they face in navigating adolescence.
Furthermore, opponents of the bill suggest that the legislation could lead to an increase in the use of alternative platforms, where age restrictions might be easier to bypass. This, they argue, could expose children to even greater risks, as the ban may drive underage users to less-regulated areas of the internet where there are fewer safeguards in place.
Both sides of the debate agree on the fundamental issue: the dangers associated with excessive screen time and the potential harms that children may encounter online. The question, however, remains how to best balance the need for protection with the desire to foster healthy digital spaces for young people to interact and access resources.
In addition to the proposed age restriction, the Australian government has also commissioned the UK-based Age Check Certification Scheme to develop and trial age verification technology. This initiative is intended to assist social media platforms in verifying users’ ages and preventing underage access. The government has also proposed the introduction of a “digital duty of care,” which would require social media providers to take more proactive steps in preventing online harms, including bullying, exploitation, and the spread of harmful content.
This move reflects a growing global trend toward increasing accountability for tech companies and strengthening user protections. Other countries have introduced similar measures, providing users with a formal avenue to lodge complaints and enabling authorities to take action against platforms that do not adhere to safety regulations.
As the debate over online safety continues, the Australian government’s proposed legislation marks a significant moment in the ongoing global conversation about the role of social media companies in protecting vulnerable users. Whether or not the bill will achieve its desired goals of reducing online harm while maintaining access to beneficial online communities remains to be seen, but it is clear that the government is committed to creating a safer digital environment for Australia’s young people.
