Social media ban for under-16s is approved by the Australian Parliament

[-:Undertaker:-]

Australian Parliament approves social media ban for under-16s

The Australian Senate has passed a bill from the House of Representatives that bans social media for under-16s

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c89vjj0lxx9o

Australia will ban children under 16 from using social media, after its Senate approved the world's strictest laws.

The ban - which will not take effect for at least 12 months - could see tech companies fined up to A$50m ($32.5m; £25.7m) if they don't comply.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the legislation is needed to protect young people from the "harms" of social media, something many parent groups have echoed.

But critics say questions over how the ban will work - and its impact on privacy and social connection - have been left unanswered.

This is not the first attempt globally to limit children's social media use, but it involves the highest age limit set by any country, and does not include exemptions for existing users or those with parental consent.

"This is a global problem and we want young Australians essentially to have a childhood," Albanese said when introducing the bill to the lower house last week. "We want parents to have peace of mind."

Having passed the Senate by 34 votes to 19 late on Thursday, the bill will return to the House of Representatives - where the government has a majority meaning it is sure to pass - for it to approve amendments, before becoming law.

The legislation does not specify which platforms will be banned. Those decisions will be made later by Australia’s communications minister, who will seek advice from the eSafety Commissioner - an internet regulator that will enforce the rules.

As a teacher I am all too aware of the negatives of social media, but this is draconian overreach in spades - and at the end of the day, it is the job of parents and schools to regulate child spaces in the home and at school, not a Minister of the Crown.

That said, I am sure there will be ways around it. I worked by way around the Great Chinese Firewall via a VPN when I was in Shanghai and Peking on holiday during the summer.

Thoughts?

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I think banning social media is probably a good idea and wouldn’t necessarily harm younger people. However, as you mentioned, there will always be ways to bypass it, and implementing such a ban would be challenging.

I'm very interested to see how they go about making it happen!