Australia Sets Strict Age Limit for Social Media: A Global Impulse?

Australia has passed a groundbreaking law that prohibits children under the age of 16 from accessing social media, thereby introducing one of the world's strictest regulations for major technology companies. This regulation, affecting platforms like Meta's Instagram and Facebook, as well as TikTok, stipulates that these companies must exclude minors; otherwise, they face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars. A test run for the enforcement of this regulation is planned to start in January, with full implementation expected in a year. Many social networks, including TikTok, Facebook, and Snapchat, allow registrations starting at the age of 13. However, child protection organizations criticize the inadequate control, and statistical surveys from several European countries reveal that numerous children under 13 still have accounts. While the United Kingdom currently has no plans to introduce similar restrictions as in Australia, Digital Minister Peter Kyle emphasizes that all options are being considered to ensure online safety. The Online Safety Act, which will be overseen by the authority Ofcom next year, already sets higher standards for platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. In Norway, it was recently proposed to raise the minimum age for consenting to the terms of service on social media from 13 to 15 years. According to the Norwegian government, half of the nine-year-olds are already using social media. Within the European Union, parental consent is required for the processing of personal data of children under 16 years, with member states allowed to lower this limit to 13 years. France, on the other hand, has required parental consent since 2023 for minors under 15 years to create accounts on social networks, but it continues to struggle with technical issues regarding implementation.