The eSafety commissioner is interested in understanding how social media giants enforce age restrictions. Australia’s online regulator has requested social media companies to disclose the number of children using their platforms and how they are implementing age limits. Eight companies have been given 30 days to respond to eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who will make the findings public. The request has been sent to Meta platforms Facebook and Instagram, YouTube owned by Google, TikTok backed by China, Snap, Reddit, Discord, and Twitch. X, owned by Elon Musk, was not included in the list of platforms contacted by Inman Grant. She mentioned that introducing some form of age limit for social media could be a possibility.
“We know that when it comes to keeping children safe online, we need a multi-pronged approach,” she said in a release.
Imposing age restrictions is being considered, but there is a need for better information to understand what will be effective and what the unintended consequences might be. It is crucial to support children in developing their digital resilience and critical thinking skills. Inman Grant highlighted the ongoing conversation about the potentially harmful effects of social media on children. Research has shown that a significant number of teenagers have been exposed to harmful content online. The eSafety commissioner emphasized the importance of obtaining solid data on the number of children on social media platforms and their ages.
Commissioner Keen to Learn How Age Limits Work
The eSafety commissioner acknowledged that most platforms already have age limits in place, commonly set at 13. However, she wants to know how these platforms are detecting and removing underage users and whether the age enforcement measures are effective. Research by eSafety has revealed that a considerable number of young children use social media regularly, indicating that current measures to verify age may not be foolproof. The commissioner referred to research from the UK sister agency Ofcom, which showed that half of children aged three to 12 use at least one social media app. It is essential to assess how far social media companies need to go to implement robust age verification mechanisms effectively.
Major Parties Back Social Media Age Limits
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has pledged to introduce age verification for social media platforms to protect young users from harmful content. Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also supports the idea, with the Labor government announcing a $6.5 million age verification trial in the budget. South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has plans to ban children under 14 from accessing social media and has appointed a former Chief Justice to examine the legal and regulatory pathways for the ban.
The conversation around social media age limits is gaining momentum, with various political leaders and regulators showing support for measures to protect children online. Please rephrase this sentence.
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