Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that his government plans to ban children below 16 years from using social media to encourage more real-life social interactions.
Terming social media as a ‘social harm’, the Australian Prime Minister expressed a desire to see children spending less time on screens and more time engaging in outdoor activities like football and swimming, as well as socialising more with their peers.
To ensure children have real experiences with real people, the Australian government plans to introduce legislation making age verification compulsory for social media use in the country.
The Prime Minister has been endorsing social campaigns to increase the minimum age for persons to open social media accounts from 13 years to 16 years. He has been a long-time advocate against increasing use of social media by children and early teenagers.
Experts and social scientists also raise concerns about the growing number of children using social media, warning that it could hinder their mental development and limit their social skills.
Meanwhile, there are voices against the move, expecting difficulties for the new legislation to be implemented in safe ways, ensuring personal privacy and data security.
In a video thread posted by Al Jazeera on X, of Albanese speaking about his decision, netizens accuse him of being a hypocrite, criticizing him for not addressing the country’s advertisement policy that allows gambling advertisements to be shown to everyone, including children.
Residents also allege that the announcement is a ploy to divert the attention of the public from issues that his government is falling behind.
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