The Australian government will toughen its policy banning social media (SNS) use by youths under 16. It is moving to introduce additional measures after judging that the policy, first implemented last year as a world first, has fallen short.
AP reported on the 26th (local time) that Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese plans to strengthen a law banning SNS use by children under 16.
In an interview with local broadcaster ABC, Albanese also said, "We are asking the online safety regulator 'eSafety' to look at whether the current law is sufficient and whether it has been granted all necessary powers."
The Australian government moved to block attempts to undermine the youth SNS ban because it concluded the measures in place were ineffective. In December last year, Australia rolled out policies such as banning minors from creating accounts on SNS platforms like Instagram and YouTube.
According to research published recently in the prominent medical journal "British Medical Journal" (BMJ), 85% of Australian youths aged 12 to 17 were using platforms with access restrictions. Data released by eSafety also showed that 7 out of 10 minors still held SNS accounts even after December last year.
In response, Australian authorities are reportedly planning legal action based on provisions that impose fines on platforms that do not take steps to prevent minors from holding accounts.