MELBOURNE, Australia, Nov 7 (AP): The Australian government on Thursday announced what it described as world-leading legislation that will set an age limit of 16 for children to start using social media and make platforms responsible for ensuring compliance.

“Social media is harming our children and it takes time,” said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

The legislation will be introduced in Parliament during the last two weeks of this year’s session, which begin on November 18. The age limit will take effect 12 months after the law is passed, Albanese told reporters.

Platforms including X, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook should use that year to learn how to exclude Australian children under 16.

“I spoke to thousands of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. They, like me, are concerned about the safety of our children online,” Albanese said.

The proposal comes as governments around the world grapple with how to police young people’s use of technologies such as smartphones and social media.

Social media platforms would be penalized for violating the age limit, but minor children and their parents would not.

“It would have to be on social media platforms to demonstrate that they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access. The burden will not fall on the parents or the youth,” Albanese said.

Antigone Davis, head of safety at Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said the company would respect any age limits the government wants to introduce.

“However, what’s missing is a deeper discussion about how we implement protections, otherwise we risk making ourselves feel better, like we’ve taken action, but teenagers and parents won’t be any better off.” , Davis said in a statement.

She added that stronger tools in app stores and operating systems for parents to control which apps their children can use would be a “simple and effective solution”.

X did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. TikTok declined to comment.

Digital Industry Group Inc., an Australian digital industry advocate, described the age limit as “a 20th century response to 21st century challenges”.

“Instead of blocking access through bans, we need to take a balanced approach to create age-appropriate spaces, develop digital literacy and protect young people from online harm,” DIGI CEO Sunita Bose said in a statement.

More than 140 Australian and international academics with expertise in fields related to technology and child welfare signed an open letter to Albanese last month opposing social media age restrictions as “too obscure a tool to address the risks effectively”.

Jackie Hallan, director of youth mental health service ReachOut, opposed the ban. She said 73 per cent of young people in Australia accessing mental health support did so through social media.

“We are uncomfortable with the ban. We think that young people are likely to get around a ban and our concern is that it really drives behavior underground and then if things go wrong, young people are less likely to get support from parents and carers because they’re worried about not get in trouble,” Hallan said.

Child psychologist Philip Tam said a minimum age of 12 or 13 would have been more applicable.

“My real fear is that the social media issue will just be driven underground,” Tam said.

Australian National University lawyer Associate Prof Faith Gordon feared that separating children from platforms there could create pressure within families.

Albanese said there will be exclusions and exemptions in circumstances such as the need to continue access to educational services.

But parental consent would not entitle a child under 16 to access social media.

Earlier this year, the government began a trial of age-restricting technologies. Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, the online watchdog that will oversee compliance, will use the results of that test to provide platforms with guidance on what reasonable steps they can take.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the year-long introduction would ensure the age limit could be implemented in a “very practical way”.

“There needs to be increased penalties to ensure compliance,” Rowland said.

“Every company operating in Australia, whether domiciled here or not, is expected and must comply with Australian law or face the consequences,” she added.

The main opposition party supported an age limit of 16 in principle.

Opposition MP Paul Fletcher said the platforms already had the technology to enforce such an age ban.

“It’s not really a question of technical viability, it’s a question of their willingness to do it and will they bear the costs to do it,” Fletcher told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

“Platforms are saying, ‘It’s too hard, we can’t do it, Australia will become a holdover, it might not work.’ But if you have well-crafted legislation and you stick to your guns, you can get results,” Fletcher added.