There can be no exemptions for youngsters who’ve parental consent, or who have already got accounts.
“The onus can be on social media platforms to reveal they’re taking affordable steps to stop entry,” Albanese mentioned. “The onus will not be on mother and father or younger folks.”
“What we’re asserting right here and what we are going to legislate can be really world main,” Communications Minister Michelle Rowland mentioned.
Rowland mentioned platforms impacted would come with Meta Platforms’ Instagram and Fb, in addition to Bytedance’s TikTok and Elon Musk’s X. Alphabet’s YouTube would doubtless additionally fall inside the scope of the laws, she added.
TikTok declined to remark, whereas Meta, Alphabet and X didn’t reply to requests for remark.
The Digital Trade Group, a consultant physique which incorporates Meta, TikTok, X and Alphabet’s Google as members, mentioned the measure may encourage younger folks to discover darker, unregulated elements of the web whereas chopping their entry to help networks.
“Preserving younger folks secure on-line is a prime precedence … however the proposed ban for youngsters to entry digital platforms is a twentieth Century response to twenty first Century challenges,” mentioned DIGI managing director Sunita Bose.
“Reasonably than blocking entry by means of bans, we have to take a balanced method to create age-appropriate areas, construct digital literacy and shield younger folks from on-line hurt,” she added.
France final yr proposed a ban on social media for these underneath 15, although customers have been capable of keep away from the ban with parental consent.
The USA has for many years required expertise firms to hunt parental consent to entry the information of youngsters underneath 13, resulting in most social media platforms banning these underneath that age from accessing their companies.
