Today the Government has introduced world-leading legislation to enforce a minimum age of 16 years for social media.
The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 will deliver greater protections for young Australians during critical stages of their development.
It will require social media platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent under 16s from having accounts.
The law places the onus on social media platforms – not parents or young people – to take reasonable steps to ensure these protections are in place.
The Bill and the associated rules will ensure young Australians have continued access to messaging and online gaming, as well as access to services which are health and education related, like Headspace, Kids Helpline, and Google Classroom, and YouTube.
“This is a landmark reform. We know some kids will find workarounds, but we’re sending a message to social media companies to clean up their act,” said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the occassion.
The Government will introduce stronger penalties for online safety breaches, which will see digital platforms face fines of up to $49.5 million for systemic breaches.
The Bill creates a new definition of ‘age-restricted social media platforms. This will include Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, and X, amongst others.
It will contain robust privacy provisions, including requiring platforms to ringfence and destroy any information collected to safeguard the personal information of all Australians.
The law is designed to be responsive to changes in technology and services.
The Bill has been designed following extensive feedback from young Australians, parents, experts, industry, community organisations and state and territory governments.
It builds on broader efforts by the Australian Government to hold platforms accountable for ensuring the safety of their users.
November 21, 2024