Australia plans minimum age for kids to use social media

PM Albanese vows to get children off their devices; critics warn against knee-jerk move

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Australia will ban children from using social media with a minimum age limit as high as 16, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sept 10, vowing to get children off their devices and "onto the footy fields".

Legislation to keep children off social media will be introduced in 2024, Mr Albanese said, describing the impact of the sites on young people as a "scourge".

The minimum age for children to log into sites such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok has not been decided but is expected to be between 14 and 16, he said, adding that his own preference would be a block on users aged below 16.

An age-verification trial to test various approaches is being conducted over the coming months, the Centre-Left leader said.