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The tech giant Meta announced this Thursday that it began removing those under 16 from Instagram, Threads and Facebook in Australia, ahead of the entry into force in that country of the first global ban on social media for children.
Canberra has demanded that major online platforms, including TikTok and YouTube, block internet users under the age of 16 before December 10th, when the ban will begin to take effect through new legislation.
Tech companies face fines of 49.5 million Australian dollars (about 32 million USD) if they do not adopt "reasonable measures" to comply with regulations.
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"Although we are working hard to remove all users we understand to be under 16 by December 10, compliance with the law will be an ongoing process with multiple facets," said a Meta spokesperson. Younger users can save and download their histories on the internet, the spokesperson for the American technology company indicated. "Before you turn 16, we will notify you that you will soon be able to regain access to these platforms, and your content will be restored exactly as you left it," says a message from Meta to affected users. It is expected that hundreds of thousands of teenagers will be affected by the ban, as Instagram alone has around 350,000 Australian users aged between 13 and 15 years old. Some popular apps and websites, such as Roblox, Pinterest, and WhatsApp, are exempt, but the list is still under review. Meta stated that it will comply with Australian law, but asked that app stores be responsible for verifying the age of users, instead of social media platforms. "The government should require app stores to verify age and obtain parental authorization each time teenagers under 16 download apps, eliminating the need for teenagers to verify their age multiple times on different platforms," said their spokesperson. YouTube has also criticized the Australian ban. The video streaming giant stated this week that the new law would make young people in that country "less safe," as those under 16 could continue to visit the website without needing an account and thus avoid the platform's content filters. However, Australian Communications Minister, Anika Wells, called his argument "strange". – A matter of «self-esteem» – "If YouTube reminds us all that it is not safe and that there is content not appropriate for users with age restrictions on its website, that is a problem that YouTube must solve," Wells assured this week. The minister told reporters that some Australian teenagers had committed suicide because algorithms "clung" to them, directing them to content that undermined their self-esteem. "This specific law will not solve all the harm that occurs on the internet, but it will make it easier for children to seek a better version of themselves," he said. Last week, a network rights advocacy group filed a legal appeal to stop the ban. The Digital Freedom Project stated that it had challenged the new regulations in the Australian High Court, calling them an "unfair" attack on freedom of expression. Australian authorities expect rebellious teenagers to do everything possible to circumvent the laws. The guidelines warn that they could try to use false identifications, or use artificial intelligence to make their photos look like those of older people. Therefore, platforms have been required to devise their own means to prevent this from happening, although "probably no solution will be 100% effective", according to the country's internet security watchdog. There is great interest in knowing whether Australia's broad restrictions will work, as regulators around the world grapple with the potential dangers of social media. Malaysia indicated that it planned to prevent those under 16 from registering for social media profiles next year, while New Zealand will introduce a similar ban.
