Australia approved on Thursday a social media ban for children aged under 16 after an emotive debate that has gripped the nation, setting a benchmark for jurisdictions around the world with one of the toughest regulations targeting Big Tech.
The “Social Media Minimum Age” bill sets Australia up as a test case for a growing number of governments that have legislated or said they plan to legislate an age restriction on social media amid concern about its mental health impact on young people.
Countries including France and some US states have passed laws to restrict access for minors without a parent’s permission, but the Australian ban is absolute.
A full under-14s ban in Florida is being challenged in court on free speech grounds.
Getting the law passed after a marathon last day of Australia’s parliamentary year marks a political win for centre-left Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who goes to an election in 2025 amid sagging opinion polls.
The ban faced opposition from privacy advocates and some child rights groups, but 77% of the population wanted it, according to the latest polls.
The law forces tech giants from Instagram and Facebook owner Meta (META), to TikTok to stop minors from logging in or face fines of up to A$49.5 million ($32 million).
A trial of methods to enforce it will start in January with the ban to take effect in a year.
Australia was the first country to make social media platforms pay media outlets royalties for sharing their content and now plans to threaten them with fines for failing to stamp out scams.
