"Save Youths from SNS": Strict Regulations Imposed
TikTok and Instagram Block Accounts for Users Under 16
Platforms Failing to Comply Face Fines of Up to 48 Billion Won
Youths and Platforms Push Back, While Parents and Educators Welcome the Move
The Australian government will implement a complete ban on social networking service (SNS) accounts for youths under the age of 16 starting from the 10th, and major social networking service platforms have begun blocking accounts.
On December 4 (local time), international media outlets including the Associated Press reported that Meta had started blocking Instagram, Facebook, and Threads accounts belonging to Australian youths under the age of 16. TikTok also issued a statement on the 5th, announcing that existing accounts of users in this age group would be deactivated as soon as the law takes effect. Affected youths will be given the option to request either account deletion or to restore their TikTok account once they turn 16.
The Australian government will implement a complete ban on social networking service (SNS) accounts for youths under the age of 16 starting from the 10th, and major SNS platforms have begun blocking accounts. Pixabay
Under the Australian Youth SNS Ban Law, which will officially take effect on the 10th, SNS platforms that do not take measures to block users under the age of 16 could face fines of up to 48 billion won. Users will be required to verify their age to use or create an account. In addition to the standard method of self-reporting birth dates, authentication methods will be significantly strengthened, including facial and voice recognition and behavior-based age estimation. However, messenger services such as WhatsApp and YouTube Kids are classified as educational or child-oriented and are therefore exempt.
The Australian government enacted this law banning SNS accounts for youths under 16 in November last year, after a surge in exposure to harmful content, online sexual crimes, and cyberbullying among teenagers. According to the government’s online safety regulatory agency, the eSafety Commission, as of July, 70% of approximately 2,600 youths aged 10 to 15 had encountered hate speech, violent videos, or content promoting eating disorders or suicide online.
There has been strong backlash from youths who have grown up as so-called "digital natives." The nonprofit Digital Freedom Project recently filed a lawsuit with the High Court of Australia together with two teenagers, arguing that the new law infringes on the freedom of political communication guaranteed by the constitution for youths as well.
Platforms are also pushing back. Rachel Lord, YouTube Australia's head of public policy, criticized the law as a "hasty regulation" that fundamentally misunderstands both the nature of YouTube and the way Australian children and teenagers use the platform. She argued, "Above all, this law will not deliver on its promise to make children safer online." X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, and others have also refused to comply with the law.
On the other hand, parents and educators have welcomed the legislation. The parent organization "Hearts Up Alliance" issued a statement saying, "This could be a positive turning point for the daily lives and mental health of teenagers," and emphasized that "children under 16 should spend more time in the real world."
There is growing attention as to whether Australia's experiment will spread worldwide. The United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Norway, New Zealand, Spain, and Indonesia are reportedly discussing similar regulatory bills. Malaysia also recently announced that it will ban SNS use for youths under 16 starting next year.
Research continues to show that SNS use has a serious negative impact on adolescent mental health. According to a study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), who tracked upper elementary school students for three years, those whose SNS usage increased from an average of 7 minutes to 73 minutes a day experienced a 35% increase in depressive symptoms. The study explained that basic reward mechanisms of SNS, such as likes, notifications, and algorithm-based recommendations, when combined with adolescents’ immature impulse control and desire for recognition, can lead to far more severe consequences than for adults.
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