Saving children from social media - 23rd September 2024

Australia’s government intends to place a ban on children accessing social media. It will be putting draft legislation before parliament later this year.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese states that many platforms, including TikTok and Instagram, have a negative impact on young minds. Children should be outside having real experiences and playing sports instead. He commented that "parents want their kids off their phones and on the footy field, and so do I."

There’s currently discussion around what an appropriate legal age for social media might be. The government’s considering a lower limit anywhere from 14 to 16 years old. However, the final decision’s being delayed until trials of age verification systems have been completed.

Although facial age estimation technology's one possible solution for verification, its accuracy with children under 16 has been questioned. Another method could be for users to match an image of their face to an official ID photo.

Australia’s e-safety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, has recommended a double-blind tokenized approach in order to protect user privacy. Under this system, a social media platform would ask a third party organisation to verify a user’s date of birth with age assurance providers.

Meta, which operates Facebook and Instagram, argues that age verification should take place at the level of the device. Apple or Google, for example, would be responsible for verifying a user’s age before apps can be downloaded.

Legislation which limits minors’ access to social media’s already in place in China, France, and some US states. These laws address concerns about cyberbullying, self-harming, and unrealistic body standards. However, Australia’s ban would be a world first.

Nevertheless, experts caution that cyber laws may be difficult to enforce if companies are based outside Australia. A court case against X, accused of spreading misinformation and violating online safety standards, may test this in practice.