In an attempt to safeguard the mental health of young people, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared on Thursday that children under the age of sixteen would not be permitted to use social media.
Additionally, businesses involved risk fines if they don’t adopt the new rules.
Anthony Albanese is pushing for an end to social media because he claims it is hurting kids. He promised to solve the problem by introducing legislation later this month.
“Social media companies will have to show that they are taking appropriate measures to block access. Parents and young people won’t bear the burden. According to Bloomberg, he stated that there will be no consequences for users.
In an effort to crack down on internet companies that the prime minister blames for the increase in false information and mental health problems, Albanese’s center-left Labour government has implemented a number of measures, including the long-awaited age restrictions for social media.
Australia has a history of opposing big tech firms that control social media platforms; in 2021, for example, it attempted to force Facebook and Google to pay for news output.
Elon Musk’s X Corp. was sued by the authorities more recently for failing to take down a video of a terrorist incident in Sydney.
Additionally, the Labour government is looking into new laws that would mandate social media companies to fight false and misleading material.
Although the government claimed to have consulted with social media companies over age restrictions “through various means,” officials did not specify which platforms would be impacted, whether the ban might be implemented, or what the possible sanctions for businesses may be.
Using the failure of alcohol restrictions to stop underage drinking as an example, Albanese acknowledged that he did not anticipate the laws to be completely effective or to address the problem right once.
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