Without network until 16, ‘Brother’, by Ignacio Orovio

Australia is the first major country in the world to increase the age for opening social media accounts to 16 years. It was announced this Thursday by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The measure was introduced in September under the argument that “social networks are harming our children,” Albanese said then. “I’m going to put an end to it,” he insisted in reference to the damage caused by the network, which he compared to alcohol, the sale of which is banned in Australia (like many countries). Age 18 years.

When children try to open an account their parents will be able to tell, the Prime Minister said dramatically yesterday: “Sorry, mate, it’s against the law.” Colleague, Brother,

Although the legislation will still take a few months to be implemented – it will have to go through Parliament and after its approval, it will still take twelve months to come into force – Australia will ban networks for those who already have networks and Parents of those who are authorized by it.

Albanese explained that networks will have to verify the age of their users according to rules that the Australian Electronic Security Commission is already working under, and that they will face harsher sanctions if they do not comply with that law.

Australia will be the first major country in the world to ban access to social networks before the age of 16

Communications Minister Michel Rolland yesterday assessed that the measures would be world leading. The regulation would affect Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X and YouTube, though “exceptions” are planned for platforms considered “lower risk,” Rowland said, without specifying further.

With this announcement, Australia places itself among the ranks of administrations taking action against the abduction of minors in care and the harm it causes to the mental and emotional health of minors, as scientific research is increasingly demonstrating.

Puerto Rico and Texas recently set similar limits on the age of 18, a movement advocating delaying cell phone use by teens as long as possible is gaining ground in Spain, and New York has approved two initiatives :Parental consent is required for a teen. Under the age of 18 and another that limits the collection of data from minors, the mathematical gold of social networks.

The debate on somehow regulating network use among minors is growing around the world, but with irregular and non-homogeneous measures.

Australia now has another problem, in particular, with one of its users: its ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd.

In June 2020, and then as director of think tank Asia Society, Rudd posted a tweet on Twitter calling Donald Trump “the most destructive president in history”. “He drags America and democracy through the mud. It thrives on nurturing, not healing, division. He wrote, “He misuses Christianity, the Church, and the Bible to justify violence.” Last March, when Trump was a pre-candidate and Rudd was already at the Australian Embassy in Washington, Trump predicted that Rudd would not last long in office. And he was only one applicant.

That’s another problem with networks: they have memory, and it’s also math.

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