A Flawed Ultimatum to Big Tech Is Better Than Nothing
Australia's under-16 social media ban has reverberated around the world. The US hasn’t passed federal law aimed at digital child safety since 1998.
Australia’s social media ban for anyone under 16 has spurred a global debate.
Photographer: WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images
Australia’s social media ban for teens will not keep young people safe online. It may prevent some 15-year-olds from entering a burning building, but leaves the doors to the inferno open as soon as they turn 16. It would make more sense for policymakers to focus on putting out the fires inside.
But this far-reaching new law, which restricts anyone under the age of 16 from social media and fines companies up to A$49.5 million ($32 million) for systemic breaches, is delivering Big Tech an ultimatum that the status quo is no longer acceptable. The rest of the world is watching closely.