Australia becomes the first country in the world to ban social networks for under 16s. This law, adopted Thursday by the Australian Senate after an intense public debate, requires tech giants to take measures to prevent minors from accessing their platforms, under penalty of fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (around 100 million Tunisian dinars).
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed this decision, saying: “We have sent a clear message to the parents: we are by your side. He stressed that social networks could become dangerous tools, promoting harassment, anxiety and online predators.
This ban concerns Snapchat, Tiktok, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit and X, but the list could widen. If she has received support from the liberal opposition, some politicians, such as the Australian senator from the Greens Sarah Hanson-Young, criticized a precipitated legislative process. According to her, this measure is likely to isolate young people more and to miss its objective of empowering companies.
For his supporters, it is a decisive turning point to control the power of technological giants and guarantee the safety of children online.
