🔗 Share this article

Australia's controversial policy to restrict social networking access for young people below 16 is creating waves worldwide. Officials, child protection groups, and families are monitoring with great interest to see if this approach will become a template for countries abroad.

European Trend

Across Europe, a increasing number of countries are moving toward parallel measures.

• Denmark has stated a prohibition on social media for youth below 15, with the leader declaring that smartphones and apps are "robbing our youngsters' innocence". Legislation is expected to be formalized next year.
• Norway is preparing to implement a minimum age limit of 15, citing the need to protect children from the "influence of the recommendation systems".
• Ireland is developing a digital ID system to confirm the user details of social media users. Authorities have indicated that an similar ban could be "one of the measures in reserve".
• In The Spanish government, the president has asked lawmakers to approve a law lifting the legal age for accessing social media to 16.
• In France, the leader has proposed a ban for under-15s, and a government panel has recommended a comparable move, including an overnight "digital curfew" for older teenagers.
• The government in The Dutch government has recommended guardians to prevent their children from social media before 15.

For the broader EU, the European parliament has approved a advisory motion calling for a ban for minors unless a parent decides otherwise is provided. Although it cautions of the "addictive" design of these platforms, the resolution does not establish mandatory rules.

"An effective age limit is a useful starting point," commented the MEP behind the resolution.

The UK: A Watchful Stance

In the UK, the government has not ruled out a potential ban, emphasizing that "no option is being dismissed" but maintaining any policy must be "grounded in conclusive data".

Earlier, support grew behind a legislative effort to introduce limits on social media use by teenagers, but it was eventually modified. Nonetheless, the government vowed to investigate the topic.

Campaign organizations have expressed warnings. A prominent charity set up by the relatives of a young person who was lost after viewing dangerous social media material contends that a strict age ban may not improve online safety and could result in a "sudden drop-off" of exposure when young people become eligible.

"The Australian ban is a response to the inability of the Silicon Valley to build platforms and apps that are appropriate and fit for minors," commented a leading child protection advocate.

America: A Decentralized Landscape

Across America, regulation is largely unfolding at the local level against a backdrop of country-wide gridlock.

• Utah mandates parental consent for minors to use social media and limits late-night use.
• The state of Florida has passed a bill prohibiting under-14s from creating accounts on social media, though it faces legal challenges.
• Virginia has enacted a regulation limiting minors to one hour of social media access per day, with any further use requiring adult consent.
• The state of Georgia, Tennessee, and Louisiana have likewise enacted bills mandating adult authorization for under-16s to open social media accounts.

Even with widespread concern and suggestions from certain individuals to copy this example, a federal ban is right now seen as a distant prospect.

Worldwide Perspectives

Apart from the West, further nations are also considering moves.

• Malaysia aims to restrict social media for those under sixteen beginning next year.
• Brazil has increased the access age for one major platform to 16.

Yet, international agencies take a more nuanced position. The UN children's agency has advised that age-based restrictions pose dangers and "could backfire". The body points out that social networks can be a "lifeline" for isolated young people and that government action should not be a "replacement" for platform operators to improve child safeguards.

While this global debate unfolds, the policies of Australia and several other countries show that states globally are increasingly willing to wait for tech companies to make changes on their own.