Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday the government would legislate for a ban on social media for children under 16, a policy the government says is world-leading. <\/p>\n
\u201cSocial media is doing harm to our kids and I\u2019m calling time on it,\u201d Albanese told a news conference. <\/p>\n
Legislation will be introduced into parliament this year, with the laws coming into effect 12 months after it is ratified by lawmakers, he added. <\/p>\n
There will be no exemptions for users who have parental consent. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe onus will be on social media platforms to demonstrate they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access,\u201d Albanese said. \u201cThe onus won\u2019t be on parents or young people.\u201d <\/p>\n
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said platforms impacted would include Meta Platforms\u2019 Instagram and Facebook, as well as ByteDance\u2019s TikTok and Elon Musk\u2019s X. Alphabet\u2019s YouTube would likely also fall within the scope of the legislation, she added. <\/p>\n
All four companies impacted were not immediately reachable for comment. <\/p>\n
A number of countries have already vowed to curb social media use by children through legislation, though Australia\u2019s policy is one of the most stringent. <\/p>\n
France last year proposed a ban on social media for those under 15, though users were able to avoid the ban with parental consent. <\/p>\n
The United States has for decades required technology companies to seek parental consent to access the data of children under 13, leading to most social media platforms banning those under that age from accessing their services. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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