Australia’s social media age laws spark international interest
Australia's revolutionary social media laws have captured global attention, with fifteen countries poised to follow suit in raising children's access age to 16.
Countries from the European Union to the Pacific Islands could follow Australia’s world-leading social media laws that will increase the age of access to social media from 13 to 16 to protect children from online harm.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka are among the world leaders expected to attend an event being held by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in New York this week where he will outline Australia’s groundbreaking new laws.
The event to be held at the United Nations complex is titled Protecting Children in the Digital Age and Mr Albanese said there had been considerable international interest in Australia’s leadership on social media regulation.
“This will be a really important meeting,” Mr Albanese said in New York.
“But the globe is looking at this, and this isn’t something that’s confined to just Australia.”
Sparked by News Corp Australia’s Let Them Be Kids campaign, the new age restriction for children in Australia comes into effect in December.
The Prime Minister said protecting children from online harm was a global issue.
“This is something on the sidelines of basketball, baseball games here in the United States, just as it is in Australia and after school, where parents are saying ‘we want to get our kids off their devices and onto the basketball courts, tennis courts, swimming pools, engaging with each other socially as well’,” he said.
“I’ve spoken to parents who’ve lost their young ones. No parent should have to say goodbye to a child.”
Earlier this month, the European Union signalled an intention to replicate Australia’s laws.
The EU has established a taskforce to monitor the implementation in Australia and recommend how it could be done in the UK.
“It’s a strong action,” Mr Albanese said of Australia’s new rules.
“It won’t be foolproof. We don’t say that, but we do say we want to empower parents to say to their children, no, you can’t do that.
“Importantly it’s about giving agency to young people themselves to let them be kids,” he said.
“As the campaign says, it’s such a simple slogan that means so much.”
Australian mum Emma Mason whose daughter Matilda ‘Tilly’ Rosewarne died after being relentlessly bullied on social media, has joined the Prime Minister in the United States and will speak at the event on Wednesday local time where she will encourage other world leaders to follow Australia’s example.
“This is the beginning of the fight – it’s not the end of the fight, it’s not even halfway through,” she said.
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Originally published as Australia’s social media age laws spark international interest
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