Australia is set to become the first country in the world to ban individuals under the age of 16 from having social media accounts.
Communications Minister Anika Wells said in a press conference Wednesday that on December 10, a “world-first policy” will take effect to protect children from the harms of social media.
“With one law, we can protect Generation Alpha from being sucked into purgatory by the predatory algorithms described by the man who created the feature as behavioural cocaine,” Wells said, via BBC.
She added teenagers who are addicted to social was not a bug. Rather, it was a “design
feature.”
“On December 10, there are going to be withdrawal symptoms. Teenagers will be upset. Some will fight to get back on. Some will manage to find their way around the tech and keep their accounts,” Wells pointed, while describing kids who are constantly hooked on their Smartphones and social media as being connected to a “dopamine drip.”
“But I truly believe that short-term discomfort will be worth the long-term benefits.”
Around 96 percent of Australians under the age of 16, or more than a million of the country’s 27 million total population, have social media accounts, said Reuters.
Australia’s social media ban has prompted Meta to roll out notifications last month, informing users aged 13 to 15 that their Instagram, Facebook and Thread accounts would be shut down by December 4.
The ban imposes a fine of up to AUD 49.5 million, or USD 33 million, should they fail to take “reasonable steps” to stop underaged users from having accounts on their platforms.
