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View all search resultsCalls for caution on social media minimum age limit plan
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A high school student poses with her mobile phone showing her social media applications on Nov. 28, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia. Australia approved on Nov. 28, 2024, a social media ban for children aged under 16 after an emotive debate that has gripped the nation, setting a benchmark for jurisdictions around the world with one of the toughest regulations targeting Big Tech. (Reuters/Asanka Brendon)
T
he government plans to impose a minimum age limit for social media users to follow in the footsteps of Australia in safeguarding minors online, a move that has been widely lauded but also comes with caution from experts who believe that poorly thought out regulations might be counterproductive.
Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid said following a meeting with President Prabowo Subianto on Monday that discussions had already begun for the government to impose the age restriction through a regulation, with a plan to eventually form a law around protecting children on social media.
“We still want to study [the plan] carefully,” Meutya said. “But, as an interim [to the proposed bill], we will issue a government regulation first while we discuss with the House of Representatives what kind of law can be enacted to protect our children [online]”.
The plan has received Prabowo’s full backing as the President, is “very attentive” to children and “supportive” of measures to protect them better on digital spaces, the minister added.
Previously in November, Australia passed legislation forcing social media companies from Meta-owned Instagram and Facebook to TikTok owned by China’s ByteDance to stop children under 16 years old from logging onto their respective platforms or risk facing fines of up to A$49.5 million (US$30 million).
Australia began trialing methods to enforce the legislation this month, with the full ban expected to take full effect in one year’s time. The bill sets Australia up as a test case for a growing number of governments planning to legislate the age restriction for social media amid concern about its mental health impacts on young people.
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