Australia This Wednesday, it banned legions of teenagers from accessing social networks, with an unprecedented law in the world with which it says it hopes to “regain control” from the hands of the formidable technological giants at the head of platforms such as Instagram or TikTok.
Large internet companies will now have to remove the accounts of Australian users under 16 from their apps or face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (33 million US dollars).
Australia thus becomes one of the first countries to oppose so firmly to the technology giants that wield immense political power.
“This is Australia saying enough is enough,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a speech marking the entry into force of the restriction.
He assured that it is “one of the biggest cultural changes that our nation has faced,” and assured that “we will regain control” from the hands of the technological giants.
The government says unprecedented measures are needed to protect children from “predatory algorithms” that fill phones with harassment, sex and violence.
Hundreds of thousands of teenagers woke up in Australia without access to the apps they watched for hours each day.
Bianca Navarro, 10, says she is counting down the years until she can return to YouTube.
“It’s going to be quite sad because I have six years left until I can see him,” the minor told AFP.
Blacklist
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and Reddit are prohibited from creating or maintaining the accounts of users under 16 years of age in Australia, as are Kick, Twitch, Threads and X.
The ban is great news for parents tired of seeing their children glued to their cell phones.
Mia Bannister blamed social media for the suicide of her teenage son Ollie, who took his own life last year after being bullied online.
“I’m tired of social media giants shirking their responsibility,” she told AFP before the ban.
More and more studies suggest that spending too much time on the Internet is affecting the well-being of adolescents.
However, it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions that separate phone use from other lifestyle factors.
Dany Elachi, a father of five, said the restrictions are a “limit” that should have been established long ago.
“Very distracted”
Teenagers around the world have already shown their curiosity about Australia’s ban.
“Students today are very distracted,” said Mitchelle Okinedo, a 15-year-old Nigerian student.
“Social networks are very important nowadays to express oneself, regardless of age,” declared Santiago Ramírez Rojas, 16 years old and originally from Mexico City.
Goal, YouTube and other social media giants criticized the ban, which deprives their platforms of large numbers of loyal users.
Although most reluctantly agreed to comply with the measure, legal challenges loom.
Local media indicated that the Reddit platform would try to overturn the ban before the Supreme Court of Australia, although this social network said it could not confirm this.
“Less safe”
The technology giant Meta, parent of Instagram and Facebook, argued on Wednesday that “this poorly developed law can lead young people to less regulated platforms or applications,” which will result in less safety for teenagers.
Australia’s efforts will be closely watched by all those concerned about the dangers of social media. New Zealand and Malaysia are already considering similar restrictions.
The Australian Government recognizes that ban will be far from perfect at first and that the most astute teenagers will find ways to avoid it.
Social media companies are solely responsible for verifying that users are 16 years of age or older.
Some platforms indicated that they will use artificial intelligence tools to estimate age from photos, while younger users will be able to prove their age by uploading an official identification document.
Debate continues over which platforms should be subject to the ban.
Popular apps and websites such as Roblox, Pinterest and WhatsApp are currently exempt, but the government noted that the list is still under review.
