Australia proposes social media ban for those under 16

Australia introduced a draft law Thursday that would ban children under 16 from accessing social media, aiming to tackle online harm among minors.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland emphasized the need for the law, citing statistics that two-thirds of teens aged 14 - 17 have encountered harmful content online.

"Keeping Australians safe online is a top priority for the (Prime Minister Anthony) Albanese government," said Rowland, highlighting dangers like content promoting drug abuse and self-harm.

The legislation will apply to major social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

The draft would give social media companies a year to implement age-verification systems.

X owner Elon Musk joined the debate, saying: "Seems like a backdoor way to control access to the Internet by all Australians," quoting Albanese's support for the law.

The legislation also proposes hefty fines of up to AU$50 million ($32 million) for platforms that do not comply.