Australia’s communications minister introduced a world-first law into Parliament that would ban children younger than 16 from social media, saying online safety was one of parents’ toughest challenges.

MichelleRowland said TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram were among the platforms that would face fines of up to $33 million for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts.

“This bill seeks to set a new normative value in society that accessing social media is not the defining feature of growing up in Australia,” Rowland told Parliament.

“There is wide acknowledgement that something must be done in the immediate term to help prevent young teens and children from being exposed to streams of content unfiltered and infinite,” she added.

The bill has wide political support. After it becomes law, the platforms would have one year to work out how to implement the age restriction.

“For too many young Australians, social media can be harmful. Almost two-thirds of 14- to 17-years-old Australians have viewed extremely harmful content online including drug abuse, suicide or self-harm as well as violent material. One quarter have been exposed to content promoting unsafe eating habits,” Rowland said.

Government research found that “95% of Australian care-givers find online safety to be one of their toughest parenting challenges,” she said.

Social media had a social responsibility and could do better in addressing harms on their platforms, she said.

“This is about protecting young people, not punishing or isolating them, and letting parents know that we’re in their corner when it comes to supporting their children’s health and wellbeing,” Rowland said.

Child welfare and internet experts have raised concerns about the ban, including isolating 14- and 15-year-olds from their already established online social networks.

Rowland said there would not be age restrictions placed on messaging services, online games or platforms that substantially support the health and education of users.

“We are not saying risks don’t exist on messaging apps or online gaming. While users can still be exposed to harmful content by other users, they do not face the same algorithmic curation of content and psychological manipulation to encourage near-endless engagement,” Rowland said.

Potential ban in the UK

The UK government is also considering a potential ban on social media use for children under the age of 16, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said in an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today program.

The announcement comes on Wednesday as the government continues to examine the effect of technology, including smartphones and social media, on young people.

Kyle acknowledged a lack of "firm, peer-reviewed evidence" on the issue but highlighted the importance of gathering data to inform decisions.

He has outlined his strategic goals for Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, in a formal "letter of strategic intent."