Australian Government Votes to Ban Under 16s from Social Media Apps

The Australian Government recently voted to establish a new law compelling social media platforms to prohibit users under 16 years of age. This controversial legislation was passed at the final parliamentary sitting day of the year, prior to the end-of-year break and an anticipated election. The modifications to the Online Safety Act will necessitate social media platforms to implement measures ensuring no users under 16 years of age utilize their platforms. However, messaging apps, online games, and "services with the primary purpose of supporting the health and education of end-users" along with Youtube, are exempt from these new restrictions. Platforms cannot compel the users to provide government-issued IDs to verify their age, and penalties for contraventions can escalate to a maximum of AUD 49.5 million (USD 32.2 million) for major platforms. The infringements of laws by parents or young individuals will not be penalized. These new laws will be enacted in 12 months, allowing platforms sufficient time to adapt and comply with these updated regulations. The Australian Government has branded these changes as a pioneering policy to protect young vulnerable users from harmful exposure online. However, the plan has evoked skepticism from numerous experts questioning the initiative's efficacy and potential adverse effects. A recent open letter from 140 child safety experts urged the government to reconsider the strategy, underscoring the importance of online world in children's development and transition to adulthood. Concerns have risen about youngsters migrating to alternative platforms, which may expose them to increased risks instead of mitigating them. Despite the government's intentions, there is ambiguity about which platforms will fall under this mandate due to the vague wording of the amended bill. Although it was stated that messaging apps and gaming platforms would be exempt, the bill implies that any platform enabling "online social interaction" would have to follow these rules. Currently, all major social apps require users to be at least 13 years old but enforcing this restriction has posed challenges due to lack of reliable age verification or methods to approve parental consent methods. The potential repercussions would be better understood when it's clarified what measures social apps are expected to take to prevent underage users from accessing their platforms. Regardless of its intentions, it's uncertain whether the government will successfully establish and implement a robust systematic solution due to the diverse detection methods used by each platform. Particularly as the platforms using underdeveloped detection technology may not meet the required standards. The effectiveness of this approach is unclear, and the potential political support it might garner seems to be the only apparent benefit to advancing this law at this stage, despite its uncertainties.