With more than 5.17 billion s, social media platforms are some of the most accessed websites and apps in the world. These allow s to share thoughts, memories, and ideas with those closest to them and the wider internet audience.
These platforms have also become the primary income source for many content creators who produce unique videos and images to share laughter, inform others of current events, or just have some fun. Not all of this content, however, is suitable for all ages.
Due to a growing number of young s, concern has been increasing over the harmful effects and misinformation caused by social platforms. The Australian government has decided to be proactive in mitigating these effects through the proposal of new laws aimed at social media platforms.
Below, we’ll examine whether curbing social media use like this has been attempted before, what the law aims to achieve, how it hopes to complete its mission, and what it will really do for end s.
Previous Attempts
Australia isn’t the only country that has tried to minimise child social media use. In 2015, the EU recommended that all children under 16 obtain parental consent to use social platforms.
While each European Union country was free to make its own choice, many opted to do so. The UK (still part of the EU at the time) ed a law requiring parental consent for those under 13 years old. In 2024, it was recommended that this age be raised to 16.
Like the UK, also acted on the EU’s recommendation, ing a law in 2023 that limits all s under the age of 15 unless they have parental consent. Failure to restrict access can lead to massive fines for social platforms.
The USA was among the first to instil such measures, ing the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in 1998. Like the UK, this requires all s under the age of 13 to have consent from legal parents or guardians.
Although each of these countries has laws to limit social use by minors, statistics show they have been widely ineffective. In the USA, a 2022 study revealed that 68% of preteens (aged 11 to 12) were active on one or more social platforms.
Australia’s Aim
Despite the perceived failure of regulation restricting underage access to platforms in other countries, Australian politicians feel strongly that it will succeed in Australia. This determination comes from the rationale behind the law, which is idealistic on paper.
The proposed laws have two objectives: protecting children and combating misinformation.
Protection of Minors
A significant motivation behind the new regulations is protecting children from the adverse effects of social media usage. These effects range from mental to physical and, in severe cases, can even stunt children’s development. Some of the most common of these effects include disrupted sleep, learning difficulties, behavioural problems, and even obesity.
Even more harmful, however, are the psychological repercussions. Children using these platforms may be exposed to inappropriate content (particularly that of a sexual nature), grooming, and cyberbullying. The latter has become a global issue many countries are actively trying to mitigate.
Stopping Misinformation
Although protecting children is enough validation to regulate who uses these platforms, the government also aims to help combat the spread of misinformation. With a more mature base that is more knowledgeable and better equipped to do proper research, the aim is that misinformation will not be shared (or believed) as easily.
Implementation
Having the best of intentions about why children should be limited in their social media use does little to make implementing these limits easier. However, the proposed laws address this with relatively easy steps that social platforms offering their services to Australian residents will need to undertake.
Age-Based Ban or Consent
The first practical step the law will require social platforms to undertake is institute a complete ban for all s under 14 (some drafts state this age will be 16). No child under this age will be allowed to a social media in any form.
s above the age of 14 (or 16) but under 18 will need to obtain parental consent to for and use a social media platform. This will continue to limit access to these platforms essentially until a child is of legal age.
Age Verification
To avoid s lying about their age when ing a social , platforms must perform an age verification check each time a new profile is ed. This could involve requiring registrants to legal proof of identity that clearly states their age and shows they are old enough to access services.
Government Control
Moving from age limits, the law will grant the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) more extraordinary powers to investigate the spread of misinformation on social platforms. Where it finds that a platform has not proactively tried to stop misinformation from spreading, it can prosecute the platforms and issues fines of up to 5% of their global revenue.
Transparency
The law will also introduce new requirements regarding transparency among social platforms, helping to mitigate possible billion-dollar fines. These requirements will require platforms to be more open about their proactive efforts to stop misinformation and regulate news circulating on their platforms.
Effects and Timeline
The new laws to implement the above are scheduled to be brought before parliament in 2025, meaning social platforms have no immediate cause for concern. However, the Australian government has announced that it will be rolling out trials of the age verification process over the coming months.
Should these trials prove successful and the law next year, it could mean added frustration for adults trying to s due to the new age verification. Advocates against the law have added that this could cause a decline in social media usage, impact online information sharing, raise operational costs for platforms forced to implement new measures, and increase the government’s censorship powers.
These negatives, although severe, seem minimal to the good the proposed laws could bring to children in the country. While other protection laws, like those surrounding online gambling through websites found on casinos.com, have helped mitigate underage activity online, whether they will prove effective and worthwhile in the long run remains to be seen.