Australia is planning to ban the “world's leading” social media platform for children under 16

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Thursday what he called a “world-leading” plan to implement a ban on social media for all children under the age of 16. Although many details of the proposed legislation have not been clarified, the Australian. The leader said in a press conference that the bill includes an age verification process where “the onus will be on social networks to demonstrate that they are taking appropriate measures to prevent access” to their platforms.

Under the proposed law, social media companies would face hefty fines for allowing minors to access their platforms, but there would be no penalties for users or users' parents who ignore the law, the Australian government said in a statement.

“Social media is harming our children and I'm calling time on it,” Albanese said Thursday. “I've spoken to thousands of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. They, like me, are concerned about our children's online safety, and I want parents and families in Australia to know that the government is putting up with it.”

The government said the proposed law would not allow exemptions for children whose parents approve of their use of social media. The bill also would not include “grandfather programs” that would exempt young people who already have public accounts.

Australia's Minister of Communications, Michelle Rowland, told reporters that they have been consulted on how social media companies can implement this ban, and said Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X and YouTube as platforms that may be affected by this law.

CBS News has sought comment from all five social media companies about the Australian government's plans.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, in a statement that the company has already created several safety equipment of youth in its services.

“There is a solution that eliminates many of these concerns and makes things immeasurably easier for parents: parental consent and age verification should happen in the app store. And we think that Australia should make it a law,” said the company.

Last month, a coalition of more than 140 Australian and international experts signed an open letter to Albanese outlining concerns about the proposed age limit.

“The online world is a place where children and young people access information, build social and technology skills, connect with family and friends, learn about the world around them and relax and play,” the book said. “We are concerned that 'ban' is a vague tool to effectively address risks.”

In April, a bipartisan group of US senators including Republican Ted Cruz of Texas and Democrat Brian Schatz of Hawaii introduced legislation that would, among other provisions, “prohibit children under the age of 13 from making or keeping social media accounts, in accordance with the practices of major social media companies,” and “Prohibit social media companies from recommending content using algorithms to users under the age of 17.”

A 2023 advisor from the US Surgeon General's office said there are mental health benefits for children and youth when they reduce or eliminate exposure to social media for more than a month.

Most social media companies have policies that prevent children under the age of 13 from creating accounts, but a 2022 study by the UK's media regulator, Ofcom, found that around 80% of children in the country had social media accounts by the time they were which is 12.

Alex Sundby contributed to this report.