social media
Melbourne: Australia’s Communications Minister Michelle Rowland on Thursday introduced a bill in Parliament to ban the use of social media for children under 16 years of age. If the bill becomes law, it will be the first law of its kind in the world. Roland said that ensuring children’s online safety has emerged as a big challenge for parents. He said that the bill provides for a fine of up to 50 million Australian dollars (about 33 million US dollars) on social media platforms for failing to prevent children under 16 years of age from creating accounts, including TikTok, Platforms like Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram are included.
The bill has political support
“This bill seeks to establish a new standard principle in society that access to social media is not a defining characteristic of growing up in Australia,” Rowland told Parliament. There is a widespread belief that immediate action should be taken to prevent children and adolescents from accessing unlimited “uncut” content available on the Internet.” This bill has widespread political support. Once the bill becomes law, social media platforms will have one year to implement age restrictions.
Australian Communications Minister Michelle Rowland
Social media can prove harmful
Rowland said, “Social media can prove harmful for many young people in Australia. Nearly two-thirds of Australian children aged 14 to 17 have viewed extremely harmful content on the internet, including content related to drug abuse, suicide, violence or self-harm. “One-quarter of children have viewed material that promotes bad eating habits.” Rowland, quoting a government research, said that 95 percent of Australian parents consider online safety as one of the biggest challenges in raising children.
social media
What did Elon Musk say?
However, ‘X’ owner Elon Musk has raised questions on this bill. “(This bill) appears to be a behind-the-scenes attempt by Australians to control access to the internet,” he said in a post. Australia is also working on measures to prevent children under 18 from accessing pornographic material available on the internet, a government statement said. (Language)
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