Australia‘s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that the federal government will introduce legislation this year to restrict children from accessing social media.
The government will soon trial age verification technology to restrict children from opening social media accounts by the end of 2024, blocking children from social media and other digital platforms up to a proposed age of 16.
Other countries from the Asia-Pacific region, including Malaysia, Pakistan, China and Singapore, have announced similar intentions to tighten online media controls in the past few months.
Outside the region, France and several states in the U.S. have also aimed to pass laws to restrict social media use by minors.
Albanese said that the legislation aims to prioritize the safety as well as mental and physical health of children.
More details about the plan will be provided after the completion of a $6.5m trial of age verification and assurance technology, which was funded in the government’s May’s budget.
The push to ban children from using social media has become a bipartisan policy in Australia, after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton previously said that the Coalition would similarly seek to ban children and teenagers under 16 years of age.