Tiktok, Snapchat and Reddit are among the social media platforms that will have to ban children under the age of 16, but advocates are warning the reforms could infringe on the human rights of young people.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland introduced world-first legislation to federal parliament on Thursday, saying it would make the online environment safer for young people.
Tiktok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, Instagram, and X (formerly TwitterI are among the platforms that will have to impose age limitations on users.
Messenger Kids, WhatsApp, Kids Helpline, Google Classroom, and YouTube are expected to be classified as “out-of-scope services.”
The Australian Human Rights Commission said while the ban was designed to protect children from harm, it was likely to also have negative human rights impacts on young people.
“Where rights are limited to protect children from online harms, any limitations must be lawful, necessary and proportionate,” it said.
“If there are less restrictive options available to achieve the aim of protecting children from harm, they should be preferred over a blanket ban.”
The inclusion of messaging apps in the ban could have wider consequences by making communication within families harder, Ms Rowland said.
Companies that breach the minimum age obligation face fines of up to $49.5 million.
“The bill … does not provide the magic pill to resolve or eliminate every harm children face online, nor does it seek to rule out digital participation and inclusion for young people,” Ms Rowland said.
“This is about protecting young people, not punishing or isolating them, and letting parents know we’re in their corner when it comes to supporting their children’s health and wellbeing.”
Under the draft laws, social media platforms would be required to take reasonable steps to prevent young people under 16 from having accounts.
There will be a minimum lead-in period of 12 months before the ban is activated.
Parents will not be able to give consent for their children to use social media, and users will not be required to hand over sensitive ID documents to platforms.
The measures will also allow the minister to exclude some services from the ban, including messaging services, online games, and health and education platforms.
Australia would be the first country to have an age ban on social media.
Age verification trials are underway to determine how the ban would be enforced.
