Australia plans "world-leading" social media ban for children under 16

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Thursday what he called a "world-leading" plan to implement a social media ban for all children under the age of 16. While much of the detail of the proposed legislation has yet to be made clear, the Australian leader said at a news conference that the bill involves an age verification process where "the onus will be on social media platforms to demonstrate they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access" to their platforms.

Under the proposed legislation, social media companies would face sizable fines for allowing younger children to access their platforms, but there would be no penalties for users or parents of users who ignore the law, the Australian government said in a statement. 

"Social media is doing harm to our kids and I'm calling time on it," Albanese declared Thursday. "I've spoken to thousands of parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles. They, like me, are worried sick about the safety of our kids online, and I want Australian parents and families to know that the government has your back."  

The government said the proposed legislation would not allow exemptions for children whose parents consent to their use of social media platforms. The bill also will not include "grandfathering arrangements" that could exempt young people who already have social accounts.

Australian Minister of Communications Michelle Rowland told reporters social media companies had been consulted about how to practically enforce such a ban, and she mentioned Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X and YouTube as platforms that would likely be affected by the legislation. 

CBS News has sought comment from all five social media companies about the Australian government's plans.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said in a statement that the company has already created several safety tools for teens on its services.

"There's a solution that negates many of these concerns and simplifies things immeasurably for parents: parental consent and age verification should happen on the app store. And we think Australia should make it law," the company said.

Last month, a coalition of over 140 Australian and international experts signed an open letter to Albanese outlining concerns about the proposed age limit.

"The online world is a place where children and young people access information, build social and technical skills, connect with family and friends, learn about the world around them and relax and play," the letter says. "We are concerned that a 'ban' is too blunt an instrument to address risks effectively."

In April, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators including Republican Ted Cruz of Texas and Democrat Brian Schatz of Hawaii introduced legislation that, among other provisions, would "prohibit children under the age of 13 from creating or maintaining social media accounts, consistent with the current practices of major social media companies," and "Prohibit social media companies from recommending content using algorithms to users under the age of 17."

A 2023 advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General's office said there were mental health benefits for children and teens when they reduce or eliminate exposure to social media for longer than a month.  

Most social media companies have policies that bar children under the age of 13 from setting up accounts, but a 2022 study conducted by the U.K.'s media regulator Ofcom found that nearly 80% of children in the country had social media accounts by the age of 12.

Alex Sundby contributed to this report.