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Australia plans to ban social media for young people: protection or assault?
Australia plans to ban social media for young people under 16 to protect them from risks and harmful content.
Australia plans to ban social media for young people: protection or assault?
Australia is planning a radical step in the fight to protect young people online: the use of social networks for everyone under the age of 16 could be banned. This is part of a comprehensive bill aimed at better protecting children and young people from the dangers of platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. The planned law stipulates that it is not the users or their parents who will be punished, but rather that the operators of the platforms themselves are responsible for complying with the age ban. High fines are intended to force companies to significantly improve their security measures Swabian Post reported.
Dangers of social media and their influence
The discussion about youth and social media is not new, as social networks not only represent an opportunity for young people to interact, but also numerous risks. According to the current JIM study, 95 percent of young people between the ages of 14 and 15 use the internet every day, and platforms such as Instagram and TikTok are very popular. On the one hand, these networks offer creative expression, but they are also venues for cyberbullying, dangerous challenges and manipulative advertising, all of which impact on youth identity formation. According to the Federal Agency for Civic Education Topics such as cyberbullying and risky 'challenges' are also widespread on TikTok and pose a clear danger.
The planned Australian draft law could have far-reaching consequences, particularly with regard to age verification, which currently remains unclear. Methods such as ID documents or biometric procedures are being discussed, but there are concerns about data protection. Human rights organizations also express criticism and warn of a possible violation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which, in addition to protection from dangers, also guarantees access to information and freedom of expression.