Parliament imposes world-first regulations banning under-16s from social media.

In the new legislation recently enacted by the Australian government, it will now restrict the accessibility of social media for children and teenagers starting late next year. This law prohibits any person below 16 years of age from accessing any of the most commonly used platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook.

It is said to be very much crucial for the physical and mental well-being of young people among the many reasons put forth for bringing the measure because of the adverse impact of the platforms on youth. Presently, there were opposing views regarding the law by mental health experts in the recently rushed inquiry of Senate.

Prompted by the fastness, the grand political parties united to push the legislation before the end of the parliamentary year. There was, however, some backlash from several Coalition members, greens representatives, and independent lawmakers, arguing that the government should have taken time to deliberate on the impact of the legislation on society and its impact on young users before pushing it through. Also, the technology companies were keen to postpone the proceedings until the government had completed trials of age verification methods.

Only in one year will new laws bring bases for imposing penalties with a heavy hand on social media companies. A fine of up to $50 million could be enforced against the company if the company were unable to ensure that those under the age of 16 would not have access to their platforms. Importantly, minors or their parents cannot be penalized under this law for any contravention of the law. It will not permit a social media company to require such proof of age through government-issued ID or Digital ID on account of government identification.

During the inquiry, various experts who engage with young people on mental health issues presented their diverse opinions on the proposed ban. One of them is clinical psychologist Danielelle Einstein who contended that social media offers no benefit; in fact it may damage the mental health condition of the youth. Contrasting that argument, however, is Nicole Palfrey of the mental health organization Headspace, who said that it would be ideal to weigh both sides of the coin-the perils and advantages brought about by social media. These mostly include bringing people together and encouraging young people to seek help online, especially for children who live too far away from urban areas where access to such services is difficult.

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