Picture: The Australian government plans to legislate to ban children from using social media. \AFP

[Ta Kung Pao News]According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Australian Prime Minister Albanese said on the 10th that the Australian government plans to submit a draft on the minimum age limit for using social media platforms before the end of this year to start the legislative process. The Australian government hopes to set the minimum age for using social media between 14 and 16 years old to protect children’s physical and mental health and prevent them from becoming addicted to the Internet.

Albanese said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that social media keeps children away from real friends and family and away from real-life experiences, harming their physical and mental health and making parents worried. Albanese said the bill led by the Australian federal government plans to set the minimum age for using social media between 14 and 16 years old to ensure that children are better protected. He also said that this bill will refer to the former Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia Robert. French’s advice. French previously released a report on children’s social media safety, proposing to ban children under 14 from using social media and requiring social media platforms to obtain parental consent before allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to use it.

A poll conducted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in August showed that 61% of Australians believed that the government should ban people under the age of 17 from using social media. Australia currently does not have a national minimum age limit for the use of social media, and only some states have proposed legislation to prohibit children under 13 from using social media. Although some social media platforms operating in the country require users to be at least 13 years old, this age limit can be easily bypassed. South Australia was one of the first states to draft relevant legislation. According to the state’s draft, social media platforms such as Facebook will face lawsuits and fines if they allow children under 14 to create accounts.

The United States, the Netherlands, and the European Union are also considering restricting children’s use of electronic products or social media. However, such measures have also caused controversy. Some people believe that this will make young people’s way of surfing the Internet more hidden and uncontrollable, or use other online platforms that are more difficult to monitor.