Australia has announced a complete ban on social media for children under 16 years of age regarding the online safety of children. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese clearly said that this law was very important to protect the mental health and development of children. The new rule will come into effect from December 2025 and after this, no child below 16 years of age will be able to create an account on any major social media platform nor will any old account be able to operate it.

What does the new law say?
The Australian Government has introduced the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024, according to which it will be illegal for any child in the country to use social media before the age of 16 years. This means that the platform will have to close all such accounts whose user age is less than 16 years. The government says that this law has been made to protect children from the increasing dangers on the internet.

The ban will apply to which social media platforms?
The government has clarified that this rule will apply to almost all major social media platforms. These include platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, YouTube, Reddit and Kick. Keeping an existing account, operating it or creating a new account of any user below the age limit on these platforms will be considered a violation of the law. These platforms will also have to implement stringent verification systems to identify the age of children.

PM Anthony Albanese’s statement
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that this law is extremely important for the safety of children. He said, ‘This step is to keep our children safe online. The digital world cannot exist at the expense of children’s mental health or their development. He said that the government wants to ensure that the Internet becomes a means of education and entertainment for children, but does not become a threat to their health.

Concern increased due to studies
The government also said that many studies conducted around the world have found that social media addiction is increasing rapidly among children and teenagers. Research has revealed that continuous viewing of screens spoils children’s sleep, increases their anxiety and restlessness, and reduces their ability to concentrate.

When will the new law come into force?
The Australian Government has announced that this law will come into effect from December 10, 2025. After this, no social media platform will be able to provide its services to users below 16 years of age. The platform will also have to adopt new technologies for age identification and verification by making changes in its system.

The addiction of the growing smartphone among school going students is becoming worrying. In view of this, some time ago Australia banned social media for teenagers. Now South Korea has also taken such a decision and has stopped carrying mobile phones and digital devices in the classroom. This decision will be applicable in schools across the country. The leaders here say that social media addiction among the youth is taking the form of a big crisis.

Decision will be implemented from next year

The decision passed by the Parliament of South Korea on Wednesday will come into effect from March next year. Leader Cho Jung-Hun, who proposes this rule, said that children keep running Instagram and tickets till late night. Every morning his eyes are red and they stay on Instagram till 2-3 pm. Earlier, such decisions have also been implemented in Australia and Netherlands. The focus of students has improved after the decision in the Netherlands.

These problems were seen in students

98 percent of South Korea’s population has a smartphone and about 99 percent of the population here uses the Internet. Last year, the Ministry of Education here conducted a survey. In this, 37 percent of the middle and high school students said that social media is affecting their daily lives. 22 percent of the students participating in the survey said that when they do not access social media, they start getting anxiety. Due to this, smartphones were already banned in many schools and now this rule has come into force in schools across the country. However, disabled children have not been included in this rule. Also, there is no restriction on the use of smartphones for the purpose of studies.

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