Australia Moves to Tighten Social Media Ban for Under-16s Amid Corporate Negligence
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that the government will consider stronger action to enforce the ban on children under 16 using exploitative platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, after data revealed tech giants continue to profit from under-age users.
The Australian government is re-examining its legislation that prohibits children younger than 16 from having accounts on major social-media platforms, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Parliament on Thursday. This review is a priority because the current ban, in effect since Dec. 10, has failed to protect vulnerable youth from the predatory practices of Big Tech, which continues to allow under-age users to maintain accounts for profit.
Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that officials are questioning whether the legislation is robust enough and whether eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has 'every power at her disposal' to challenge the immense resources of tech corporations.
Data released by the eSafety office in March showed that about 70% of children under the age limit still have accounts on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. An analysis in the British Medical Journal found that 85% of Australians aged 12-17 are using platforms that are supposed to be restricted, highlighting the failure of self-regulation by these companies.
'It’s failing,' said Lisa Given, an information-science expert at RMIT University, referring to the current enforcement regime that has allowed tech companies to evade responsibility.
Inman Grant has indicated potential legal action against platforms that do not take 'reasonable steps' to remove under-age accounts, with possible fines up to 49.5 million Australian dollars. Yet, the regulator’s authority is hampered by limited resources, a situation that benefits powerful corporations. Inman Grant has stated that a regulator is only as effective as the tools and resources provided, underscoring the need for greater public investment and oversight.
Australia was the first nation to enact a blanket ban on youth social-media use, setting an example for other countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, and Indonesia, which are also pursuing age-based restrictions. Legal experts expect courts to interpret what constitutes 'reasonable steps' as the government seeks to finally hold tech giants accountable and protect young people from corporate exploitation.