How will Australia’s teen social media ban work?

Marketplace Tech

American Public Media

Technology, News

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 25 February 2025

⏱️ 7 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Last year, Australia passed a measure that would ban children under 16 from using social media. That’ll be a big shift: About 80% of Australian kids between the ages of 8 and 12 used social media in 2024, according to a report from Australia’s online safety regulator. The government is now working on the details of how to implement what many are calling one of the strictest age restriction policies in the world. The BBC’s Naomi Rainey reports on the difficulties of enforcing the ban and the impact it could have on kids in the future.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Kids sometimes get on social media, even if they're not supposed to.
0:04.9	In Australia, companies are going to face big fines if they do.
0:08.7	From American Public Media, this is Marketplace Tech.
0:11.6	I'm Stephanie Hughes.
0:27.6	Later this year, one of the world's strictest social media bans for kids will go into effect in Australia.
0:31.1	No one under the age of 16 will be allowed on the platforms.
0:32.7	That'll be a big shift.
0:38.1	About 80% of Australian kids between the ages of 8 and 12 use social media last year.
0:41.9	That's according to a report from Australia's online safety regulator.
0:46.8	The BBC's Naomi Rainey has more on how the social media ban will work.
0:53.0	It may not be surprising that young Australians like these teens in Sydney have mixed feelings about plans
0:55.1	to ban social media for under 16-year-olds.
0:58.2	I don't think all social media is bad.
1:00.8	I just think it should be very heavily limited.
1:03.9	Well, it's just like really easy to bully people on social media.
1:07.1	I don't know if it should be banned, but I think there should be more restrictions.
1:10.2	Australia isn't the only country in the world, Milling, how to better protect young people from
1:14.7	harm on the internet, but it has passed some of the most stringent rules to date. The law, which
1:20.1	comes into effect later this year, puts the responsibility for stopping under 16s accessing social
1:26.2	media firmly on the shoulders of tech companies,
1:29.5	with fines of up to $32 million US dollars if they fail.
1:34.2	Parents cannot give permission for under 16s to have accounts,
	...

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