Australia’s looming social media ban will protect the young from an online “purgatory” created by algorithms sending them harmful content, the government said Wednesday.

The country will, from December 10, ban under-16s from a raft of the world’s most popular social media platforms and websites, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

When it comes into force, it will be the first such legislation in the world.

“With one law, we can protect Generation Alpha from being sucked into purgatory by the predatory algorithms,” Communications Minister Anika Wells told reporters.

Currently, “the algorithm will attack them so deftly, so subtly, it resembles an embrace. Their interactions will be unsupervised and weaponised because their parents can’t watch them 24/7,” she said.

Some Australian teens had killed themselves as algorithms “latched on” — targeting them with content that drained their self-esteem, Wells said.

“This specific law will not fix every harm occurring on the internet, but it will make it easier for kids to chase a better version of themselves.”

The minister also responded to video streaming giant YouTube’s criticism of the legislation.

The platform said underage users would still be able to visit YouTube without an account, but would lose access to many of its features — including “wellbeing settings” and “safety filters”.

It argued that the new law would make children “less safe” on YouTube.

Wells said it was “outright weird” for YouTube to tout how “unsafe” their platform was for users who were logged out of their accounts.

“If YouTube is reminding us all that it is not safe and there’s content not appropriate for age-restricted users on their website, that’s a problem that YouTube needs to fix,” she said.

The Australian government concedes the ban will be far from perfect at the outset, and some underage users will fall through the cracks as issues are ironed out.

But platforms face fines of Aus$49.5 million (US$32 million) if they fail to take “reasonable steps” to comply from next week.

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Wells said Australia could ban more platforms if it found children migrating to alternative apps.

There is keen interest in whether Australia’s sweeping restrictions can work as regulators around the globe wrestle with the potential dangers of social media.

Malaysia indicated it was planning to block children under 16 from signing up to social media accounts next year, while New Zealand will introduce a similar ban.

AFP

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