Australia takes step toward banning children under 16 from social media

First-of-its-kind legislation would put onus on giants including Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

20241121 Smartphone young people

Proposed legislation in Australia would set "clear parameters" on social media in a way that is analogous to laws that prohibit the sale of alcohol and cigarettes to minors, the government says. 

SHAUN TURTON, Nikkei staff writer

SYDNEY -- Australia's government introduced a bill to parliament on Thursday that would ban children under 16 years old from using social media and require changes from some of the world's most-used platforms.

The legislation would force social media companies to "take reasonable steps" to prevent children under the minimum age from having accounts, likely requiring changes to the systems and processes used by some of the world's largest tech companies. 

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