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An Australian ban on social media accounts for under-16s isn’t quite what it seems.
It doesn’t come into force for a year and no-one knows how it will be enforced when it does. Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, says that’s up to the tech companies.
Still, the bill is bold: it makes no exceptions, it was passed overwhelmingly, it provides for fines of up to $33 million for failing to prevent children opening accounts, and it puts the onus squarely on the platforms “to ensure the safety of our kids is a priority,” Albanese says.
$33 million is nothing to Meta or TikTok, of course. And child welfare experts in the UK say this sort of ban will do as much harm as good.
Maybe. Maybe not. At least someone’s finding out.
