Australia says it will ban minors from using social media, considering a minimum age of 14

Australia is considering a potential ban on children using social media as part of government plans to set an age limit for platforms like Instagram and TikTok. This move would place Australia among the first nations to enforce such restrictions, aimed at addressing mental and physical health issues associated with online activity among young people.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that an age verification trial would begin before formal legislation is enacted by the end of the year. “I want to see kids off their devices and out on the footy fields, in the swimming pools, and on the tennis courts,” Albanese stated on Tuesday. “We want them to engage in real experiences with real people because social media is causing social harm.”

This follows a proposal from South Australian authorities that would require social media companies to ban children 13 and under or face fines. Similar laws exist in U.S. states like Florida and Texas, and Spain recently raised the minimum age for social media accounts from 14 to 16.

“The evidence is clear that early exposure to addictive social media is harming our kids,” South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said, according to ABC News.

The age verification trial will test various methods to restrict access to adult sites and prevent children under 13, and teens between 13 and 16, from using social media. Governments worldwide are grappling with how to mitigate online risks, including harmful content like suicide imagery or terrorist material, and many believe self-regulation is no longer sufficient.

The UK had planned to introduce age verification for online pornography but scrapped the laws in 2019 due to technical issues and privacy concerns.