The Australian government is moving forward with a controversial plan to prohibit children under 16 from accessing major social media platforms, including X, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. This initiative has garnered broad political support but has raised alarms among experts in child welfare and technology.
Proponents of the bill argue that it aims to protect children from online harms such as cyberbullying, misinformation, and predatory behavior. Cyber safety advocate Sonya Ryan, who lost her daughter to an online predator, supports the age restriction, emphasizing the need for protective measures in a digital landscape fraught with dangers.
However, critics, including representatives from Google and Meta, caution against the rushed implementation of such a significant policy. They argue that more time is necessary to evaluate the potential impacts and the effectiveness of proposed age-verification systems, which may involve biometric data or government IDs. They warn that the bill, as it stands, could impose undue burdens on social media platforms without ensuring adequate protections for children.
Concerns also extend to privacy implications, as the government may require platforms to store sensitive identification data. Experts fear this could lead to significant privacy violations, given the poor track record of social media companies in safeguarding personal information.
As the legislation is set to be debated further, stakeholders are urging a more careful and comprehensive approach to ensure that any measures taken genuinely serve the interests of children while respecting their rights to expression and information.