"Stop Using SNS and Go Outside to Play"... Australia Introduces World's First Age Restriction

Ban on SNS Use for Under 16 to Be Legislated Within the Year

The Australian government has announced its intention to legislate age restrictions on social networking services (SNS). If the law passes as planned, Australia will become the first country in the world to impose age restrictions on SNS at the national level.

On the 10th (local time), Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appeared on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and said, "We know that social media is a social harm," adding, "I want to see children put down their devices and go out to soccer fields, swimming pools, tennis courts, and play. I want them to have real interactions and real experiences."

[Image source=Pixabay]

He further explained that a federal law restricting the age for SNS use is expected to be introduced within this year, and that a system to verify users' ages will be piloted over the coming months. Although the minimum age for SNS use has not yet been decided, it is expected to be between 14 and 16 years old, and personally, he prefers to block users under 16.

Local media reports indicate that both the Australian opposition and public opinion support SNS age restrictions, suggesting that the law will likely pass without major difficulties. Previously, Peter Dutton, leader of the Australian Liberal Party, the opposition, pledged to implement SNS age restrictions within 100 days of taking office if he wins next year’s general election. A poll conducted last month by ABC showed that 61% of Australians support restricting SNS access for youths under 17.

The Australian government’s strong move to impose SNS age restrictions is interpreted as a response to recent cases of youth SNS addiction and related violence and hate incidents. In April, a 16-year-old boy’s stabbing attack at a church in Sydney sparked national outrage after it was revealed that the boy belonged to an extremist group active on SNS. Additionally, youths can easily access harmful content such as pornography on SNS, leading to growing calls worldwide to limit youth SNS use.

However, there are also critical views. Daniel Angus, director of the Digital Media Research Centre at Queensland University of Technology, pointed out, "Such blanket bans on SNS risk causing serious harm by excluding young people from meaningful and healthy participation in the digital world, and may instead push them into lower-quality online spaces."

Jodie Capman, a psychology researcher at Swinburne University, criticized, "These prohibitions may worsen situations by depriving youths who face difficulties in forming relationships of one option for interaction with others." According to a study conducted last year by the University of Sydney, about 75% of Australians aged 12 to 17 have experience using YouTube or Instagram.