Australia bans social media for under-16s
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You're listening to the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.
Hello, I'm Oliver Conway. We're recording this at 16 Hours GMT on Tuesday 9th December. Australia becomes the first nation in the world to ban under-16s from social media. The Sudanese army is accused of killing nearly 1,700 civilians in airstrikes.
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Also in the podcast... Looking out for things like frostbite or hypothermia. There's so much that has never been done by somebody with a spinal injury, so we're kind of leading the way.
The challenges of a world record attempt in Antarctica... As we record this podcast, Australia has become the first nation in the world to ban anyone under the age of 16 from using social media. A law which came into effect at midnight local time requires apps like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to block access under the threat of large fines. Existing profiles will be deactivated. 14-year-old Sophia from Brisbane was one of the first to get locked out.
For me, it's a mix of emotions. Obviously, I'm quite frustrated. I do see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel in this decision. I understand that it will probably have a positive impact in the future. It will definitely adapt the way our brains think. So yes, I'm a little bit annoyed, but we'll get over it. There are much worse things in life than being locked out of Snapchat.
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the ban gives youngsters a chance to spend time doing other things. Start a new sport, learn a new instrument or read that book that has been sitting there on your shelf for some time. And importantly, spend quality time with your friends and your family, face to face. So how does it all work? I heard from our technology correspondent Chris Vallance. From the point of view of the government, this is a delay rather than a ban. Most of these platforms that fall under this require their users to have a minimum age of 13. Now this goes up under this law to 16. So essentially what this applies to is a list of 10 platforms at the moment. Those are eight of the usual suspects, if you like, meta apps.
YouTube, Threads, Reddit, X, and so on, and two streaming platforms, Kik and Twitch. And essentially, they have to take reasonable steps to check that their users aren't under 16. And if they don't do that, there's the prospect of big fines. 50 million Australian dollars, that's around 33 million US dollars. Although some critics have said for these companies, which make billions of dollars in revenue every year, that's a bit of a parking fine. For the younger teenagers who've used these apps to talk to each other, are there other ways they can still keep in touch? Well, again, this is an interesting facet of what's proposed that has certainly attracted a fair bit of criticism and scrutiny because there are no restrictions other than the usual terms of service on using messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger.
There aren't restrictions on gaming platforms like Roblox and on services like Discord. So there are certainly ways in which they can continue to keep in touch. Now, this ban is being closely watched elsewhere in the world amid worries about the damage being done by social media to younger minds. Will any other countries follow suit? Well, I think there are a lot of countries that have, if you like, taken the first steps down this path.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–6:26
2
What is the significance of Australia's ban on social media for under-16s?
6:26–19:54
3
What challenges do social media companies face in complying with the new law?
19:54–21:57
4
What are the implications of the social media ban for communication among teenagers?
21:57–25:06
5
How does the Australian government's social media ban compare to international responses?
25:06–31:09
6
How are Australian teenagers reacting to the social media ban?
31:09–32:52