AUSSIE SOCIAL MEDIA CRACKDOWN, WHO WILL FOLLOW SUIT?

SYDNEY. – Young people often spend long hours on social media despite mounting evidence that it’s not good for them.

Health experts list harms as varied as lost sleep, eating disorders and suicide.

In one of the boldest steps yet to address the problem, Australian lawmakers passed a bill last Thursday to bar children Under 16 from setting up accounts on social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok.

The move, which is being followed closely by many countries around the world, followed an emotive debate that has gripped Australia, setting a benchmark for jurisdictions around the world with one of the toughest regulations targeting Big Tech.

The law forces tech giants from Instagram and Facebook owner Meta to TikTok to stop minors logging in or face fines of up to US$32 million.

A trial of methods to enforce it will start next month with the ban to take effect in a year.

The Social Media Minimum Age bill sets Australia up as a test case for a growing number of governments which have legislated or said they plan to legislate an age restriction on social media amid concerns about its mental health impact on young people.

Countries including France and some U.S. 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.

The Social Media Minimum Age bill sets Australia up as a test case for a growing number of governments which have legislated or said they plan to legislate an age restriction on social media amid concern about its mental health impact on young people.

It also builds on an existing mood of antagonism between Australia and mostly US-domiciled tech giants.

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.

A spokesperson for Meta said the Facebook owner respected Australian law, but it was “concerned” about the process, which “rushed the legislation through while failing to properly consider the evidence, what industry already does to ensure age-appropriate experiences, and the voices of young people.”

Snapchat parent Snap will comply with laws and regulations in Australia but has raised serious concerns about the legislation, a spokesperson for Snap said in an email.

Representatives of TikTok and X, which the government has said would be affected by the ban, were not immediately available for comment.

Some youth advocacy groups and academics had warned the ban could shut off the most vulnerable young people, including LGBTQIA and migrant teenagers, from support networks.

But parent groups pushed for intervention, seizing on comments from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy who in 2023 said social media was worsening a youth mental health crisis to the point where it should carry a health warning.

“Putting an age limit and giving the control back to the parents, I think it’s a starting point,” said Australian anti-bullying advocate Ali Halkic, whose 17-year-old son Allem took his life in 2009 following social media bullying.