Social media giants on Friday criticized a landmark Australian law banning them from signing up under the age of 16, describing it as a rush job littered with “many unanswered questions”.
The UN children’s agency UNICEF Australia joined the fray, warning that the law is not a “silver bullet” against online harm and that children can end up in “secretive and unregulated” spaces online.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the legislation may not be implemented perfectly – much like existing age restrictions on alcohol – but it was “the right thing to do”.
The crackdown on sites including Facebook, Instagram and
Platforms have a “social responsibility” to make child safety a priority, the prime minister said.
“We have your back is our message to Australian parents.”
Social media companies that fail to comply with the law face fines of up to Aus 50 million ($32.5 million).
TikTok said on Friday it was “disappointed” with the law and accused the government of ignoring experts in mental health, online safety and young people who had opposed the ban.
“It is highly likely that the ban could push young people into dark corners of the internet, where no community guidelines, safety tools or protections exist,” a TikTok spokesperson said.
‘Unanswered Questions’
Technology companies said that despite the law’s perceived shortcomings, they would consult with the government on how the law could be implemented over the next 12 months.
The legislation provides virtually no detail on how the rules will be enforced, leading experts to worry that it will simply be a symbolic, unenforceable piece of legislation.
Meta – which owns Facebook and Instagram – called for consultation on the rules to ensure a “technically feasible outcome that does not impose a heavy burden on parents and teenagers”.
But the company added that it was concerned “about the process, that legislation has been rushed through without properly taking into account the evidence, what the industry is already doing to ensure age-appropriate experiences, and the voices of young people”.
A Snapchat spokesperson said the company had raised “serious concerns” about the law and that there remained “many unanswered questions” about how it would work.
But the company said it would work closely with the government to develop an approach that balances “privacy, security and usability.”
“As always, Snap will comply with all applicable laws and regulations in Australia,” the company said.
UNICEF Australia policy chief Katie Maskiell said young people need to be protected online but also included in the digital world.
“This ban risks pushing children into increasingly secretive and unregulated online spaces and preventing them from accessing aspects of the online world that are essential to their well-being,” she said.
Global attention
One of the biggest issues will be privacy: what age verification information is used, how it is collected, and by whom.
Social media companies remain convinced that age verification should be the job of app stores, but the government believes technology platforms should be responsible.
Some companies, such as WhatsApp and YouTube, will likely be granted exemptions, which teens may need to use for recreation, schoolwork or other reasons.
The legislation will be closely watched by other countries, with many wondering whether they will introduce similar bans.
Lawmakers from Spain to Florida have proposed bans on social media for young teens, though none of the measures have yet been implemented.
China has restricted access for minors since 2021, with those under the age of 14 not allowed to spend more than 40 minutes a day on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok.
Online play time for children is also limited in China.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)