International
Australia to ban children from social media
Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has announced a plan to ban children from using social media.
He said in a statement on Tuesday the government would introduce legislation to enforce a minimum age for access to social media and other relevant digital platforms.
The PM said: “We know social media is causing social harm, and it is taking kids away from real friends and real experiences.”
He said the legislation would be informed by engagement with the states and territories, but he prefers to set the minimum age at 16 years.
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According to a poll conducted by state broadcaster the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in August, 61 percent of Australians supported restricting social media access to those younger than 17.
At the same time, Peter Malinauskas, the premier of South Australia, commissioned former federal judge Robert French to explore legal pathways to ban children younger than 14 from social media.
The prime minister said the federal government would consider Robert French’s review when drafting the legislation.
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