[News Issue] Australia bans SNS for 16-year-olds, Norway for 15-year-olds... Youth SNS ban spreading

As teenagers become excessively exposed to social networking services (SNS), leading to addiction and even crimes, governments around the world are implementing strong measures such as restricting the age of SNS users.

The Australian government has set a minimum age for SNS use, prohibiting children under 16 from using these platforms. On the 7th (local time), Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced at a press conference that a law banning SNS use by children under 16 would be proposed within this month. Having previously mentioned the introduction of an 'SNS Age Restriction Law,' he stated, "SNS is harming children."

If the bill passes, children using SNS with parental consent will also be subject to regulation without exception. However, the responsibility for regulation will lie with SNS platform companies. These companies will be required to take measures to block children's access to SNS, and if they fail to do so, they are expected to face heavy fines and other liabilities. The bill is expected to be submitted to parliament by the end of this month and, after passing through the legislature, to be implemented 12 months later.

The reason the Australian government is pushing for such strong regulations is due to the increasing cases of SNS addiction among teenagers and SNS-related violence and hate incidents. In April, a 16-year-old boy carried out a stabbing attack at a church in Sydney; it was revealed that he belonged to an extremist group that operated through SNS, sparking public outrage.

Moreover, the fact that children are easily exposed to violent and pornographic content through SNS also strengthens the case for age restrictions. In a June survey conducted by Australia's polling agency Essential Media, 68% of respondents supported 'SNS age restrictions,' while only 15% opposed them.

The movement to protect children from indiscriminate SNS use is spreading worldwide. Norway has decided to raise the minimum age for SNS use from the existing 13 to 15. As adolescent SNS addiction has emerged as a serious social problem, the government increased the age at which SNS access is allowed from 13 to 15. According to a survey conducted by the Norwegian government, more than half of 9-year-olds, 58% of 10-year-olds, and 72% of 11-year-olds were found to be using SNS.

Besides age restrictions, some countries prohibit smartphone use in schools. France is considering expanding the 'digital pause' measure, currently piloted in some schools, to all elementary and middle schools starting September next year. The digital pause policy, introduced by the French Ministry of Education this September, physically bans smartphone use in about 200 middle schools. In schools where this measure is piloted, separate lockers have been created to collect students' smartphones upon arrival and return them at dismissal.