By Shivani P Menon
In Australia, Meta has started removing children below the age of 16 from its platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, and Threads. Around 96% of Australian teenagers under the age of 16 have social media accounts. Most of the social media platforms have started contacting the users whose accounts are going to be removed, asking them if they would like to freeze their account till they turn 16 or delete their account.
From December 10, anyone under the age of 16 will have most of their social media accounts deleted automatically under the Social Media Minimum Age Act law.
Anika Wells, Communications Minister, said that if the tech companies do not follow the age restrictions, they will be fined up to A$49.5m (US$33m, £25m). They need to prohibit any new accounts.
The platforms that fall under the ban are Instagram, Facebook, Threads, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, X, Reddit and streaming platforms such as Twitch and Kick.
Instagram alone reported around 350,000 Australian users aged below 16.
This week, YouTube said that the new law would make the children “less safe” as those below the age of 16 could use the platform without an account as well.
In reply to this, Anika Wells said that the argument is weird. If YouTube itself is saying that the platform is unsafe and has content that is not suitable for kids, then in the end, it’s YouTube’s responsibility to address the issue and fix it.
With the potential dangers of social media, governments around the world are having a keen interest in whether this restriction would work as a regulator around the globe.
Next year, Malaysia is interested in introducing a similar ban. Wells said that many countries are interested in setting an age restriction, like Australia, such as France, Greece, Denmark, Romania and New Zealand.