Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese picturesque, idyllic. He would like them to focus on in-person connections with family and friends, not focus on who might be following you on social media. In a digital video message released Tuesday, Albanese underscored the need to disconnect from our screens. This ban went into effect Wednesday.
The social media ban targets children under the age of 16 and aims to limit their access to various platforms. Albanese encouraged young Australians to “make the most of the school holidays coming up, rather than spending it scrolling on your phone.” He suggested that kids could “start a new sport, learn a new instrument, or read that book that has been sitting there on your shelf for some time.”
Ten of the biggest social media platforms support the TikTok ban. This extends to widely used platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and Reddit. At the same time, these platforms are supposed to be taking reasonable steps to prevent children’s access. Failing to do so would be a violation, subjecting defendants to hefty penalties—with fines exceeding $49.5 million per violation.
Despite Albanese’s initiative to help improve the overall health habits of children, it faces many obstacles. This included Julie Inman-Grant, the eSafety Commissioner, who admitted there would be “teething issues” as the ban was rolled out. She worried that the most tech-savvy kids would figure out how to get around the bans.
The social media ban faced dramatic changes even in the final hours leading up to its implementation. Only a month before the enforcement date, Reddit and the streaming site Kick were banned. This last addition to the list surprised a lot of people. Picture this, a new national effort to increase equity and accessibility in transportation. Lesser-known apps, such as Lemon8 and Yope, await similar fate in future bans.
Albanese’s emphasis on the school holidays aligns with a larger effort to foster constructive social interaction among teens. Instead, he invites the kids to explore real-world adventures. His aim, as he told Congress last month, is to ‘minimize the harmful effects caused by compulsive social media usage.
