SYDNEY, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- A world-first Australian law, which bars children under 16 from having social media accounts and takes effect on Wednesday, has triggered debate over whether the restrictions can be effectively implemented.
The Australian federal parliament passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 in November last year, requiring certain social media platforms to take "reasonable steps" to prevent children under 16 from having accounts.
Platforms that fail to comply face fines worth up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (about 32.8 million U.S. dollars). There are no penalties for under-16s who access an age-restricted social media platform, or for their parents or carers.
10 PLATFORMS ORDERED TO COMPLY
So far, 10 social media platforms have been instructed to enforce the ban -- Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X, YouTube, Kick and Reddit. Authorities may update the list as needed.
The government argues the restrictions aim to protect young Australians from pressures and risks of social media's design features, which encourage excessive screen time and serve up content that harms their health and wellbeing.
"It's not a ban; it's a delay to having accounts," Australia's online safety regulator eSafety insisted, saying that delaying account access until 16 will give young people more time to develop important skills and maturity.
"It's breathing space to build digital literacy, critical reasoning, impulse control and greater resilience," it said.
Research by eSafety shows 96 percent of Australian children aged 10 to 15 have used at least one social media platform. Among them, 7 in 10 reported encountering harmful content online, such as violent, misogynistic or hateful material, and content promoting suicide.
More than half of children in this age group reported they had experienced cyberbullying, while some one in seven reported experiencing online grooming-type behavior from adults or other children at least four years older, according to the research.
UNCERTAIN ENFORCEMENT AND POTENTIAL WORKAROUNDS
Most platforms have pledged compliance and could allow under-16s to deactivate their accounts, enabling them to reactivate with all existing data once they turn 16. Authorities, however, advise users to download any data they wish to save before Wednesday.
It is up to the platforms to take "reasonable steps" to ensure account-holders are at least 16 years old. The law specifically prohibits platforms from compelling Australians to provide a government-issued ID or use a government-accredited digital ID service to prove their age.
Platforms may offer it as an option but must also offer a reasonable alternative, such as facial or voice recognition, or "age inference," which estimates a user's age through analysis of online behavior and interactions.
Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook and Threads, began shutting down accounts belonging to underage users on Dec. 4 and said incorrectly affected users may appeal by providing a video selfie or government ID.
The government cautions that enforcement will not be perfect on day one and that platforms won't be penalized immediately for non-compliance.
"We do not anticipate that all the under-16 accounts will automatically or magically disappear on Dec. 10 overnight," eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant was quoted by the Guardian Australia news site as saying.
Young people can still access publicly available posts or videos without logging in. Local reports also indicate some under-16s plan to maintain accounts using false credentials or VPNs that obscure their location.
At the same time, many underage users are reportedly migrating to platforms currently outside the ban, including Lemon8 and Yope.
But there is no guarantee these services will remain exempt forever. Grant recently wrote to both companies, recommending they self-assess to determine if they fall under the age restrictions.
PUBLIC STRONGLY SUPPORTIVE BUT DOUBTFUL ABOUT EFFECTIVENESS
A recent poll shows broad public backing for a social media ban, with 73 percent of Australians supportive. Yet only 26 percent express confidence that the measure will work, and 68 percent believe children will get around it.
Support is highest among teachers (84 percent) and parents (75 percent), but drops to 62 percent among those aged 16-24, according to the poll released in early December by Pureprofile, an Australia-based global data, insights and digital media company.
Many experts believe the under-16 social media ban has a potentially positive impact on youth mental health and wellbeing.
"Young people face enormous pressures to show up online through socializing with peers, seeking and providing validation, and expressing oneself," said Ellese Ferdinands, lecturer at the University of Sydney Business School.
"Social media is a breeding ground for comparison and subsequent mental health struggles regardless of age, so reducing this wherever possible can assist in delaying the age these pressures are placed on young people," she said.
However, other experts expressed significant concerns about whether the ban can actually be enforced effectively through age verification technology and compliance mechanisms. They also warn that the ban could drive youth activity into less visible online spaces.
Social media platforms, despite agreeing to comply, mostly oppose the measure. Beyond increased operating costs and a decline in user numbers, they argue that the ban is difficult to implement and could drive young people into dark corners of the internet.
Concerns have also emerged over the data collection required for age verification, given Australia's high-profile data breaches recently. The government insists the legislation includes strong protections, requiring collected data to be used solely for age checks and deleted afterward.
Some argue that penalties for non-compliance remain insufficient as tech giants won't bat an eyelid at the fines unless other nations follow suit.
"It takes Meta about an hour and 52 minutes to make 50 million (Australian) dollars in revenue," Stephen Scheeler, who led Facebook's Australian office from 2013 to 2017, told local news agency AAP.
Australia's teen social media ban has drawn international interest, with countries including Denmark, Malaysia, Brazil, Indonesia and New Zealand reportedly considering similar measures. ■
