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Australia has launched a public education campaign, offering the world’s first national guidance on how to help children get off social media before the age of 16.
The new rules, which take effect in December, mean platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok,
Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said on Friday that her agency’s website, esafety.gov.au, details the law. Awareness messages will also be broadcast on digital channels, television, radio and billboards from Sunday.
“We want kids to have a childhood. We want parents to have peace of mind and we want young people – young Australians – to have three more years to figure out who they are before platforms assume who they are,” Communications Minister Anika Wells told reporters, referring to the current de facto 13-year-old age limit for social media accounts based on US privacy laws.
Australian age restrictions have already proven polarizing, with some experts warning that the changes will harm children as well as protect them. More than 140 Australian and international academics signed an open letter to the government last year, calling social media age limits “too blunt an instrument to effectively address the risks”.
Despite that caveat, the laws passed with overwhelming support last year. Platforms had a year to figure out how to comply without foolproof technology available to verify age.
Inman Grant said age restrictions on social media would be “a very momentous event for a lot of young people”.
Her agency offered checklists and conversation starters about ways to make changes, she said, such as following an online influencer through a website instead of a social media account.
“How do we start getting them off social media now so there’s no shock on December 10th? How do we help them download their records and their memories and how do we make sure they’re in touch with friends and aware of mental health support if they’re feeling depressed about not being connected to their phones over the holiday period?” He added.
AustraliaThe move is being closely watched by countries that share concerns about the impact of social media on young children.
denmark‘S Ambassador To Australia Ingrid Dahl-Madsen said her government will use its current presidency of the Council of the European Union to push forward an agenda to protect children from the harms of social media.
“This is something that is a global challenge and we’re all looking at how we can best manage it and we’re looking towards Australia and we’ll see what Australia does,” Dahl-Madsen told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. melbourne On Monday.
“It’s very important that Australia and Denmark and the EU – we share lessons, we compare experiences and we can hopefully make practical progress on this,” he said. It was about “protecting our children in this digital world that is becoming increasingly complex.”
The Danish government last week proposed legislating a 15-year age limit. But Dahl-Madsen said denmark Parents should consider giving exemption to their 13-14 year old children. Australia has no such exemption.