Australia adds Reddit and Kick to social media platforms banning children under 16

Australia has added Reddit and Kick to its database of societal media platforms that indispensable prohibition children nether 16 from having accounts

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Australia has added connection committee Reddit and livestreaming work Kick to its database of societal media platforms that indispensable ban children younger than 16 from holding accounts.

The platforms articulation Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X and YouTube successful facing a world-first ineligible work to unopen the accounts of younger Australian children from Dec. 10, Communications Minister Anika Wells said connected Wednesday.

Platforms that neglect to instrumentality tenable steps to exclude children younger than 16 could beryllium punished with a good of up to 50 cardinal Australian dollars ($33 million).

“We person met with respective of the societal media platforms successful the past period truthful that they recognize determination is nary excuse for nonaccomplishment to instrumentality this law,” Wells told reporters successful Canberra.

“Online platforms usage exertion to people children with chilling control. We are simply asking that they usage that aforesaid exertion to support children harmless online,” Wells added.

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who volition enforce the societal media ban, said the database of age-restricted platforms would germinate with caller technologies.

The 9 platforms presently age-restricted conscionable the cardinal request that their “sole oregon important intent is to alteration online societal interaction," a authorities connection said.

Inman Grant said she would enactment with academics to measure the impacts of the ban, including whether children slumber oregon interact much oregon go much physically active.

“We’ll besides look for unintended consequences and we’ll beryllium gathering evidence" truthful that others could larn from Australia's achievements, Inman Grant said.

Australia’s determination is being intimately watched by countries that stock concerns astir social media impacts connected young children.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a United Nations forum successful New York successful September that she was “inspired” by Australia’s “common sense” determination to legislate the property restriction.

Critics of the legislation fearfulness that banning young children from societal media volition interaction the privateness of each users, who indispensable found they are older than 16.

Wells precocious said the authorities seeks to support level users’ information arsenic backstage arsenic possible.

More than 140 Australian and planetary academics with expertise successful fields related to exertion and kid payment signed an unfastened missive to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese past twelvemonth opposing a societal media property bounds arsenic “too blunt an instrumentality to code risks effectively.”

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