TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat on alert as Australia introduces social media ban for kids

Australia is taking aim at the dangers social media poses for kids, introducing legislation that would ban children younger than 16 from accessing platforms like TikTok (BDNCE), Facebook and Instagram (NASDAQ:META), Snapchat (NYSE:SNAP), Reddit (NYSE:RDDT) and X. The law, which is expected to be passed by the end of the year, will make platforms responsible for not taking “reasonable steps” in preventing kids from holding social media accounts. Any “systematic failures” can result in fines of up to A$50M ($32.5M), and exemptions would not be granted for pre-existing accounts or cases of parental consent.

Quote: “This bill seeks to set a new normative value in society,” Australia Communications Minister Michelle Rowland told Parliament. “There is wide acknowledgement that something must be done in the immediate term to help prevent young teens and children from being exposed to streams of content unfiltered and infinite.”

Some areas won’t fall under the new restrictions, like online gaming platforms and standalone messaging services like WhatsApp and Messenger (NASDAQ:META). While risks exist there too and users could still be exposed to harmful material, “they do not face the same algorithmic curation of content and psychological manipulation to encourage near-endless engagement.” The ban also excludes YouTube (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL), which is widely used in schools and has already rolled out safeguards for children.

How will it work? The Australian government is trialing an age verification system to determine how best to enforce the social media ban, along with a “digital duty of care” by providers. Under consideration are biometrics and government identification, as well as other technologies like age inference and estimation. “We know some kids will find workarounds, but we’re sending a message to social media companies to clean up their act,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared, stating that it was a “landmark reform.” Will it happen in the U.S.?

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