social networks, 07.11.2024, 12:30 PM
The Australian government will introduce a law banning social media for children under 16. Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said the proposed law aims to mitigate “the harm social media is causing to children”.
Although many details are yet to be discussed, the government said the ban would not apply to young people who are already on social media. However, there will be no exemption from the age limit for children with parental consent.
The government says the onus will be on social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X and YouTube, to show they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access to children.
Albanese said there would be no penalties for users and it would be up to the Australian Online Safety Commissioner to enforce the law.
The proposed law will be before the deputies next week, and it will come into force one year after the deputies ratify it, Albanese said.
Although most experts agree that social media can harm adolescent mental health, many are divided on the effectiveness of attempts to outlaw it. Some experts say the bans only delay exposing young people to apps like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, instead of teaching them how to behave online.
Previous attempts to restrict access, including by the European Union, have largely failed or been met with a backlash from tech companies. There is also the question of how the implementation would work given that there are tools that can bypass age verification requirements.
One of Australia’s largest children’s rights groups has criticized the proposed ban. In an open letter to the government in October, signed by more than 100 academics and 20 civil society organisations, the Australian Children’s Rights Working Group urged Albanese to consider imposing “safety standards” on social media platforms instead of a ban.
Other organizations and activists who lobbied for the law believe that bans are necessary to protect children from harmful content, misinformation, bullying and other pressures on social networks.
When asked whether greater efforts should be made to educate children on how to deal with the advantages and risks of using the Internet, Albanese said that such an approach would be insufficient because it “presupposes an equal power relationship.”
“Technology companies are incredibly powerful. These apps have algorithms that force people to behave in certain ways.”
Source: www.informacija.rs
