A recent debate has taken the internet by storm as the Australian government proposed a bill to ban social media for children under 16. “Social media is doing harm to our kids and I’m calling time on it,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

Prohibited platforms

According to the Australian Minister of Communications, Michelle Rowland, Instagram and Facebook, Elon Musk’s X, and Bytedance’s TikTok will take the onus of preventing access to children under 16.

Implementation

According to the Australian government, social media platforms will be fined hefty amounts for permitting access to children. Moreover, Australia will run a trial round of an age-verification system.

Why an outright ban?

Children have developed an inferiority complex, online addiction, depression and anxiety at a tender age because of the picture-perfect lives they see on social media.

Should India follow?

A complete ban would only delay teenagers’ exposure to the digital world. The bill has several loopholes as people can easily overcome the restrictions through hacking and other tricks. What can India do for its people?

For more details, click the link below.