Australia plans to strengthen laws banning children from social media

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Asia Australia plans to strengthen laws banning children from social media June 26, 20269:09 AM ET By The Associated Press FILE - Three boys use their phones while sitting outside a school in Sydney, Monday, Dec. Rick Rycroft/AP hide caption toggle caption Rick Rycroft/AP MELBOURNE, Australia — The Australian government plans to strengthen laws that ban children younger than 16 from social media platforms, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. Observers said on Friday the government was responding to evidence that the ban on young children holding accounts on platforms including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube had failed since it came into force on Dec.

Australia was the first country in the world to pass legislation keeping youth off social media, but others have since followed. Albanese told Parliament on Thursday this government was considering options to strengthen the ban. "We're working on that as a priority because this is something that other generations didn't have to deal with, which is why it's complex," Albanese told Parliament.

The Details

Sponsor Message He told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Friday the government was asking "are the laws as strong as possible? " and did eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, Australia's online safety watchdog, "have every power at her disposal?

" Britain announced last week plans to ban children under 16 from a range of platforms to protect them from harmful content and excessive screen time. Canada, Brazil and Indonesia have introduced legislation or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children's access to social media. France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are among others studying or developing similar approaches.

Inman Grant said in April she was considering court action against Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube, alleging they were not doing enough to keep young Australian children off their platforms. These platforms, as well as X, Kick, Reddit, Threads and Twitch, face fines of up to 49. 5 million Australian dollars ($34 million) if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove the accounts of young children.

What Experts Say

Melbourne's RMIT University expert on information sciences Lisa Given said the government's proposed reform was a response to evidence that the ban was failing. The evidence included eSafety's own data released in March that showed seven in 10 underage children continued to hold accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok since December. Sponsor Message Given also pointed to a study published in the British Medical Journal on Wednesday that found 85% of a group of Australian 12 to 17-year-olds were using restricted platforms.

"I do think it's failing," Given said. "Many kids in the media have reported that they also think that this is really a failed exercise. " The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported Inman Grant saying in an interview in early June: "I don't have potent powers.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.