Australian Communications Minister Michelle Rowland introduced a history-making bill in Parliament on November 21. If this law is passed, the use of social media by children under the age of 16 will be banned in the country.
Almost all families in Australia are concerned about the use of social media by this age group. One of the reasons for this is that ensuring the safety of children online is becoming a challenge for parents. This is why Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has paid special attention to the problem.
Michelle Rowland said in Parliament, “Even after this law is passed, every organization that fails to prevent children and teenagers from platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram will have to pay a large fine of about 50 million Australian dollars.”
Not only that, the government has informed that parents will not be exempted if they consent to their children's use of social media platforms.
Michelle Rowland said, 'A child growing up using social media is not a social feature of Australia. Therefore, through the passing of the law, a new sense of values will be created among all.'
Elon Musk saw Australia's decision differently. He said, 'The reason for such action in Australia seems to be a strategy to control the use of the Internet by ordinary citizens.'
There is no doubt about the passage of this law in Parliament. Because, starting from the people of the country, various political parties have got massive support. After the law is passed, the platforms will have one year to make necessary reforms.
Michelle Rowland says, 'Social media use is having a detrimental effect on young people. Almost two-thirds of Australians aged 14 to 17 use various platforms to procure drugs and view violent content. Apart from this, one-fourth of the advertisements have led to unsafe eating habits.'
The country's child welfare and internet experts have expressed concern over the use of social media by under-16s. They fear that this law will destroy the networks that the youth have already built on social media.
Source: Ap
