TikTok said this Friday, November 29, that it was “disappointed” by the ban on social media for under-16s in Australia, pointing out the risk of young people turning to dangerous alternative platforms.
“The ban is very likely to drive young people to darker areas of the Internet, where there are no general rules, safety tools or protection,” said a spokesperson for the platform in a press release, regretting that the Australian government has ignored the advice of many experts.
The text, which received the green light from both houses of Parliament and the support of the main parties, should soon require these platforms to adopt “reasonable measures” to prevent children and adolescents from having an account.
At least one year before the law comes into force.
Failure to comply with this obligation will result in fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (30.7 million euros).
However, it will be at least a year before the law comes into force, time for Australian regulators to clarify the details regarding its application.
Meta, parent company of Facebook and Instagram, regretted for its part that what the sector “already does to guarantee age-appropriate experiences” has not been taken into account, although it assured that the law will be respected.
Certain platforms such as WhatsApp and YouTube, which teenagers need to do homework, should be exempt. On paper, Australia’s ban is one of the strictest in the world.
But the text provides almost no details on its conditions of application, which is why some experts have expressed doubts about the technical feasibility of this ban and wonder if it is not a text with symbolic meaning, but inapplicable.
The entry into force of this new legislation will be closely followed abroad, and several countries are also considering implementing similar restrictions, such as Spain.
Source: BFM TV
