The Australian government only wants to allow children and young people to access social media from the age of 16 in the future. “I have spoken to thousands of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and, like me, they are deeply concerned about the online safety of our children,” Premier Anthony Albanese told reporters. “I want parents to be able to say, ‘Sorry, buddy, but that’s against the law.'”
“Globally relevant legislation”
The proposed law is scheduled to be discussed at a cabinet meeting this Friday and introduced into parliament later this month. After that, it could take about a year before the new regulation comes into force, reported the Australian broadcaster ABC. “This is globally relevant legislation and we want to make sure we do everything right,” emphasized Labor leader Albanese.
The head of government had already announced the plans in September and described the effect of online networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok and Co. on children as a “scourge”. He wants children to have a childhood: “We know that social media causes social harm and keeps children away from real friends and real experiences.”
The opposition also supports the move. “We don’t believe Tiktok can ever be made safe for children, we don’t believe Snapchat can ever be made safe for children, and we don’t believe Instagram can ever be safe for children,” said the company’s communications spokesperson Liberal Party, David Coleman.
It is still unclear how access will be technically controlled. The obligation to check the minimum age of users should not fall on parents, but on tech companies and Internet platforms. According to the plans, there should be no penalties for users.
Social media platforms must set age restrictions in their terms of service. However, these are almost always under 16 years of age and usually even 13 years of age. Verification is also very difficult.
In Germany there is no general, legally defined minimum age for users of social media. Theoretically, the parents of young people under the age of 16 would have to agree to its use; However, this is rarely verified and birth dates can easily be falsified during registration.
