Holding social media platforms responsible

A precedent regulation was just passed at the Australian Parliament and signed ito law by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

- MARICHU A. VILLANUEVA

Henceforth, all Australian nationals 16 years and below are no longer allowed access and use of Facebook, TikTok, X, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit and other globally used social media platforms. A trial of enforcement methods will start in January, with the ban to take effect in a year.

Heavy fines and penalties await violators of this Australian regulation for owners and operators of social media platforms wherever they may be located, in and outside Australia. Tech giants behind these global social media platforms face fines of A$49.5 million (or around US$33 million) for non-compliance. The law forces tech giants, for example, like Meta Platform (META.O) to stop minors from logging in to their popular social media platforms Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp.

This landmark law in Australia seeks to protect, if not prevent, the unseen but sinister effects of these online platforms on the social psyche and mental health of minors. Like any other country, governments must save children from harm as the next generation of the future. Moreover, they expect this new law will promote public welfare and national interest of Australia's people in general.

Prime Minister Albanese called upon popular social media platforms to fully cooperate with its implementation. "We're making sure that mums and dads can have that different conversation today and in future days," PM Albanese stressed. "Platforms now have a social responsibility to ensure the safety of our kids is a priority for them," the Australian PM declared on Friday.