Australia it is the first country in the world to prohibitfrom today, the use of social network ai under 16 years of age.
The unders16 they therefore lose access to their accounts on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, X, Reddit, Twitch e Threads.
The platforms are required to have already removed accounts belonging to users below the threshold in the country and to prevent new registrations; in case of non-compliance they are foreseen sanctions until 49,500 Australian dollars (approximately 28,000 euros).
All services except Xhave confirmed that they will comply with the ban.
As the newspaper reports Guardian Australiathe implementation encountered initial setbacks: numerous minors managed to pass the tests “facial age assurance”. The government has assured that these critical issues will be overcome.
Meanwhile, many young people have spent the last few weeks undergoing age checks and preparing for possible deactivations, exchanging phone numbers so as not to lose contact.
“We have recognized from the beginning that this process will not be 100% perfect,” the prime minister wrote Anthony Albanese in an article published in several newspapers. “But the message that the norm expresses is 100% clear. L’Australia establishes the legal age for drinking alcohol a 18 years old because society recognizes the benefits to the individual and the community of such an approach. The fact that teenagers occasionally find ways to drink alcohol does not diminish the value of a clear national standard,” he added.
Recurring surveys indicate that two-thirds of voters support raising a 16 years old of the minimum age to access social media.
The measure will be subject to a review independent evaluation by a academic advisory groupresponsible for analyzing its effects in the short, medium and long term. The regulator will have to establish whether the platforms take measures “reasonable” to comply, and the information collected will be made public, Albanese specified.
The measure attracted international attention: Denmark, Norway and Malaysia evaluate similar initiatives; there European Union passed a resolution to this effect, while a spokesperson for the British government made it known that London sta “monitoring closely Australia’s approach to age restrictions”.
