Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Reddit is launching new safety features for teens worldwide Social media banned for children under 16 in Australia Comes into effect.
All Reddit users under the age of 18, no matter where they live, will face a new version of the social media platform with more security features, including stricter chat settings, no sensitive or personalized ads, and no access to NSFW or mature content. Reddit said in a post on Monday.
On Wednesday, Australia is set to implement the world’s first social media ban for children under 16, barring children from influencing popular platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Reddit.
Under the ban, due to growing concern over young people’s access to social media, the 10 largest social media platforms were ordered to block children or face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($32.9 million).
The social media platform, known worldwide as a host for online discussion on any topic, says Redditors in Australia will see “new experiences and policies designed to help them responsibly and safely verify their age.”
“We care deeply about the safety of our users, including any minors, and while some of these changes are required by law, others represent global measures we are voluntarily taking to improve the safety and privacy for people under 18,” Reddit said.
Reddit announced several changes affecting users in Australia, including that they will now be required to provide their date of birth during account signup to ensure they are over 16 years of age.
All Australian users will also be subject to an “age prediction model”, designed to help protect young users from accessing adult content before they are old enough. Reddit notes that if users are judged to be under the age of 16, they will have the opportunity to appeal or verify their age.
Additionally, Reddit users who are over the age of 13 but under the age of 16 will have their accounts suspended. Reddit has a global ban on users under the age of 13.
The platform notes that while it disagrees “about the scope, effectiveness and privacy implications” of the new Australian law, it is making changes to meet the requirements.
Other affected social media platforms, such as Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads, have also started banning children from their apps.
Even though the ban may seem controversial to some, many other countries are considering it as they consider similar age-based measures to help protect children from the harms of social media.
“Although Australia is the first country to adopt such a ban, it is unlikely to be the last,” Toma Leaver, a professor of internet studies at Curtin University, told Reuters.
“Governments around the world are watching how the power of Big Tech has been successfully usurped. The ban on social media in Australia…is a huge crisis in the coal mine.”