Australia's government says it will introduce "world-leading"
legislation to ban children under 16 from social media.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the proposed laws, to be tabled in parliament next week, were aimed at mitigating the "harm" social media
was inflicting on Australian children.
"This one is for the mums and dads... They, like me, are worried sick
about the safety of our kids online. I want Australian families to know
that the government has your back," he said.
While many of the details are yet to be debated, the government said the
ban would apply to young people already on social media.
There will be no exemptions on the age limit for children who have
consent from their parents. The government says that the onus would be
on social media platforms to show they are taking reasonable steps to
prevent access.
Albanese said there would be no penalties for users, and that it would
be up to Australia's online regulator - the eSafety Commissioner - to
enforce the laws.
The legislation would come into force 12 months after it passes and be
subject to a review after it's in place.
One of Australia's largest advocacy groups for child rights has
criticised the proposed ban as "too blunt an instrument".
But other grassroots campaigners have lobbied Australia's government for
the laws, saying bans are needed to protect children from harmful
content, misinformation, bullying and other social pressures.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gzd62g1r3o
I think this is a very good idea. I would maybe raise it to 18 so we can
have an extra two years to prepare for what's coming.
--
"And off they went, from here to there,
The bear, the bear, and the maiden fair"
-- Traditional
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