On November 28th, 2024, the Australian Federal Parliament passed the "Amendment to the Cybersecurity Law", requiring technology platforms to take measures to prevent people under the age of 16 from using social media across the country, otherwise they will face huge fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (approximately US$31.69 million). This is considered by the outside world to be the most stringent ban on the use of social media by teenagers to date.

Previously, Australia had a number of measures targeting youth online safety. With the rise of short video platforms and the increased dependence on the Internet among teenagers brought about by the epidemic isolation, many Australian parents and teenagers believe that the old rules are no longer enough. Supporters pushing for the enactment of the new bill include teenagers who have been harmed by the Internet, and more are worried parents. They may have seen their children fall into the black hole of self-harm created by social media, or they may have feared the black box-like algorithm.

However, it only took 20 days for the new bill to be drafted by the cabinet and officially promulgated. Revisions to previous bills usually take months or even years to be finalized. Even supporters are inevitably worried about how effective the hastily introduced laws will be.

Australian regulation

Australia has always been concerned about the online safety of teenagers. Compared with other countries, Australia paid attention to the online safety of teenagers earlier, and supervision has always been strict. Although most social platforms have a 13-year-old registration threshold, teenagers will circumvent it by filling in false information.

In addition to attending classes, many students spend their free time and energy on the Internet, often looking at their mobile phones until late into the night. What worries parents and teachers even more is the potential risks of the virtual world and children's mental health issues. The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey shows that the proportion of people aged 15 to 24 experiencing psychological distress increased by 120% between 2011 and 2021. A September 2020 study by the Australian Department of Cyber ​​Security on teenagers aged 12-17 showed that more than 40% of teenagers have had uncomfortable experiences online, including being accosted by strangers, receiving harmful information, being excluded, being spread rumors, etc.

As academic institutions began to reveal the psychological harm caused by cyberbullying, in 2015, the Australian government established the Office of the eSafety Commissioner(OESC), the world's first national agency dedicated to regulating and educating primary and secondary schools on cyber safety, to provide online safety guidance to students and parents. In 2020, Australian states have successively introduced laws prohibiting students in public primary and secondary schools from bringing mobile phones into classrooms; in 2021, Australia launched the "Cybersecurity Law", which can impose penalties of up to AU$1 million each time for platforms that fail to delete harmful content in a timely manner.

Previously, Australian Communications Minister Rowland also said that this legislation makes social platforms responsible, "Social media is harmful to young Australians. Nearly two-thirds of Australians aged 14 to 17 have browsed extremely harmful content online, including drug abuse, suicide or self-harm."

The above bill was submitted on the 21st, and the House of Representatives of the Australian Federal Parliament passed the bill on November 27th. It is worth noting that the bill does not detail specific implementation plans, but only requires social media platforms to take reasonable measures to ensure that users are 16 years or older. Specific details will be announced after the age guarantee technology trials are completed in mid-2025.

How did the platforms react?

So far, most social media companies have said they will comply with the ban, but they have also expressed concerns about the potential impact.

According to analysis, online social media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram are expected to be affected. Platforms that provide medical and educational services such as YouTube, WhatsApp and Google Classroom will be exempted.

A spokesman for Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said: "We are concerned that the legislative process has been rushed and does not fully consider the evidence, the steps the industry has already taken to ensure age-appropriate experiences and the voices of young people."

Snapchat said it was also concerned about the law and would work with the eSafety Commissioner. "While there are still many unanswered questions about how this law will be implemented, we will work closely with the government and cybersecurity commissioners during the 12-month implementation period to help develop an approach that balances privacy, security and practicality," the company said in a statement.

Australian platform advocate the Digital Industry Group Inc. (DIGI) said questions remained about the law's impact on children, its technical underpinnings and scope. Sunita Bose, managing director of the company, said: "The social media ban bill has been published and passed within a week, and someone can confidently explain how it will work in practice - the community and platforms have no idea what exactly is required of them."

In addition to criticizing the bill for being hastily passed through parliament without sufficient scrutiny and being ineffective, opponents also worry that the bill will isolate children, deny them the right to enjoy the positive aspects of social media, and reduce the incentive for platforms to improve online safety.

Controlling online platforms through bans may not only fail to protect young people, but may also push them into darker corners. Some teenagers in rural and remote areas have encountered domestic violence and have no one to turn to, but social media allows them to find mutual aid communities and psychological counselors. Banning social media takes away these avenues.

Senator David Shoebridge from the minor party, the Greens, said that mental health experts unanimously agree that this ban may dangerously isolate many children who use social media to seek support. An independent lawmaker described it as "using a 1970s solution to address a 2024 problem."

Will other countries follow?

The passage of this bill means that Australia will become the country with the strictest legislation on the use of social media by minors in the world.

In March 2024, the state of Florida in the United States introduced a bill that prohibits children under the age of 14 from having their own social media accounts. Children aged 14 and 15 may register for an account with parental consent. Social media platforms could face fines of up to $50,000 per violation. The bill takes effect in January 2025.

In April 2024, a group commissioned by French President Macron recommended the development of stricter regulations, including a ban on the use of mobile phones by children under 11 years old and a ban on the use of mobile phones with Internet access by children under 13 years old. It is unclear when the new legislation will be passed and to what extent it will follow expert advice. In June of the same year, the Spanish government proposed a draft bill to ban teenagers under the age of 16 from accessing social networks. The Norwegian government proposes raising the age at which children can agree to the terms of use of social media to 15 from the current 13, but parents can still sign on their behalf if they do not reach the age limit.

French Education Minister Anne Genetet recently said she was willing to follow Australia's ban. Several other European leaders have also expressed interest in imposing an age ban, but have yet to implement it.

The UK currently has no plans to impose Australian-style restrictions. However, British Science and Technology Minister Peter Kyle said that the United Kingdom has launched a study to specifically explore the impact of smartphone and social media use on children.