CNN – Australia plans to introduce a minimum age limit for children to access social media, citing concerns about the impact on their mental and physical health. However, the proposal has drawn criticism from digital rights advocates who warn that it could push dangerous online activity into more hidden spaces.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that his center-left government will conduct an age verification trial before implementing new laws later this year. Although he did not specify an exact age, he suggested the minimum age would likely fall between 14 and 16.
“I want to see kids off their devices and out on the footy fields, swimming pools, and tennis courts,” Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “We want them to have real experiences with real people, as we know social media is causing social harm.”
If enacted, the law would place Australia among the first nations to enforce a minimum age restriction on social media usage. Similar efforts, including those in the European Union, have previously failed due to concerns about limiting minors’ online rights.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, which currently imposes a self-regulated age limit of 13, expressed its preference for empowering young users to benefit from its platforms, while giving parents tools to guide them, “rather than simply cutting off access.” YouTube’s owner, Alphabet, declined to comment, and TikTok was not immediately available for a response.
Australia is one of the most digitally active nations, with 80% of its 26 million people using social media, according to industry data. A 2023 University of Sydney study found that 75% of Australians aged 12 to 17 had used platforms like YouTube and Instagram.
The age limit proposal comes amid a parliamentary inquiry into social media’s effects on society, with testimonies highlighting the toll on teenagers’ mental health. However, the inquiry also raised concerns about whether an age restriction might lead younger users to conceal their online activities, potentially exposing them to riskier, unregulated spaces.
Daniel Angus, director of the Queensland University of Technology Digital Media Research Centre, cautioned that such a move could exclude young people from healthy online interactions, driving them to “lower-quality” areas of the internet.
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, in a June submission to the inquiry, echoed these concerns, warning that “restriction-based approaches” may limit access to vital support services and push minors to “less regulated non-mainstream services.” The commissioner pledged to work with stakeholders to refine the country’s approach to online safety.
DIGI, an industry group representing social media platforms, urged the government to consider the opinions of experts, including mental health professionals, LGBTQIA+ advocates, and other marginalized communities, to avoid inadvertently driving young users to unsafe corners of the web.