Australia (Commonwealth) _ “A complete prohibition would place the blame for businesses’ destructive business practices on young people rather than the businesses themselves.The government’s goal of enhancing the lives of young people cannot be accomplished by eliminating the positive effects of social media, and doing so would disregard the fact that the negative effects affect marginalized individuals and groups in addition to children and youth, Amnesty International emphasized in a statement.
Stronger data protection laws and avoiding profiling-based feed personalization are the best ways to protect children and youth online, according to Amnesty International, which cited the Australian Government‘s swift decision to completely ban social media for anyone under the age of sixteen.
In response to the Australian government’s plans to prohibit children under 16 from using social media, Nikita White, a campaigner for Amnesty International Australia, stated:
“The Anthony Albanese-led administration should impose regulations to improve the safety of children’s privacy and personal data while prioritizing their human rights, instead of outright prohibiting children and youth from using social media.
“The government ought to implement measures to guarantee that web platforms’ content-shaping algorithms don’t automatically employ profiling.
“Young people have the freedom to express themselves and seek information online, but there is no denying that social media firms’ policies are violating their rights. Children and young people can benefit from social media in ways like social connection, inclusion, and a feeling of inclusion, all of which can help them feel better mentally, according to Nikita White.
The Australian government filed a law in parliament on Thursday, November 21, 2024, with the goal of prohibiting children under the age of sixteen from using social media.The ideas seek to address the negative effects that social media platforms have on kids and teens.Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X will all be blocked.
The eSafety Commissioner, Australia’s internet regulator, would enforce the legislation if it passes. Steps are being taken to keep kids off social media, including testing an age-verification system.
As previously highlighted by Amnesty International, TikTok, Meta, and Google’s surveillance-based revenue models are systematically harmful and fundamentally incompatible with privacy rights.
Many parents have attempted to prevent their children from surfing social media, and the Australian parliament has proposed legislation that aims to achieve what no previous government has done.
According to Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, there is a “clear, direct link between the development of social media and its detrimental impact [to] the mental health of youth Australians,” which prompted the creation of the new law.
By a vote of 34 to 19, the Senate, the upper chamber of parliament, approved a bill on Thursday that would prohibit minors under the age of 16 from using social media.
However, scholars, policymakers, and advocacy organizations have cautioned that the government’s planned ban would backfire, sending teens to the dark web or increasing their sense of loneliness. The practical implementation of this ban has raised concerns.
If users are required to provide proof of age, many are concerned that social media corporations may receive sensitive personal information due to the hurried nature of the process. Elon Musk has also voiced his opinions.
According to the online safety amendment (social media minimum age) bill, social media businesses risk fines of up to AU$50 million (US$32 million) if they do not allow users under the age of 16 to use their services. It simply states that businesses must take reasonable measures to guarantee users are 16 years of age or older, but it doesn’t go into specifics on how it would operate.
After an age-assurance technology trial concludes in the middle of 2025, the details will become clear. Another 12 months will pass before the bill becomes operative.
Although telecommunications minister Michelle Rowland confirmed that Snapchat, TikTok, X, Instagram, Reddit, and Facebook are probably going to be included in the ban, the bill does not specify which businesses will be affected. She stated that YouTube’s “significant” instructional value would prevent its inclusion.
Last week, with only three sitting days left on the parliamentary schedule, parliament presented the bill. The bill received 15,000 submissions in a single day. One of these, from Amnesty International, claimed that a “ban that excludes young people is unlikely to accomplish the government’s goals of improving young people’s lives” and so recommended against passing the measure.
