Landmark Decision in the World: Australia Approves Legislation Prohibiting Children Under 16 from Using Social Media in All Cases.

The Australian Parliament has passed a law limiting the use of social media by minors, as proposed earlier. This law prohibits children under 16 from using social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, or Facebook in all cases. This legislation will come into effect within the next 12 months, requiring social media platforms to enhance their age verification systems and imposing penalties on service providers of up to a maximum fine of 50 million Australian dollars (approximately 1,100 million baht) if unable to comply with the age verification process. However, there are no penalties for minors or parents.

There are exceptions to this law for messaging apps, online games, and online services related to health and education objectives, including YouTube, as they can be used without logging in.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, who supports this law, stated that it aims to protect Australian children from the mental impact of social media and allow them to have a childhood free from such influences.

Social media service providers have expressed opposition to this law. Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, believes the government’s rush to implement this law may not achieve the desired outcome, as platforms already have age-displaying content systems. TikTok argues that the definition of social media in this law is too broad and vague, and X suggests that this law may violate fundamental human rights at an international level. Representatives of young people believe that while social media can have many negative effects, children should have the right to use and contribute to improving various aspects of social media.

Laws regulating minors’ use of social media are currently in place in many countries, requiring parental consent for sign-up and platforms to provide enhanced control tools.

TLDR: The Australian Parliament has approved a law restricting minors under 16 from using social media platforms, aiming to protect children from the negative impacts of social media while allowing exceptions for certain platforms and services. Industry stakeholders have voiced concerns over the vague definitions and potential violations of human rights, while advocates emphasize the importance of children’s rights and participation in shaping appropriate social media usage.