Australia is preparing a bill to ban access to social networks for children under the age of 16.

El Gobierno de Australia announced este jueves que busca limitar el acceso a social networks More than 16 years by proposing legislation to alleviate child and adolescent mental health problems.

Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albaneseque It was announced in September His intention to limit the access of minors to social networks and other digital platforms revealed that the minimum age limit will be 16 years.

“Now the government's proposed age limit is 16; this decision was adopted on Monday at the Council of Ministers.Albanese en una rueda de prensa en Canberra, y puntó que una vez que se appruebe su proposal, los padres podran decirles a sus hijos: “Lo siento, (eso) va contra la ley”.

“Las redes sociales están perjudicando a nuestros hijos y voy a ponerle fin,” said the Albanian, justifying his proposal with other legal measures, fighting against alcohol consumption over the age of 18.

Draft lawIt could reach Parliament in the next few weeks and will come into force twelve months after its approval, This will not exclude 16-year-old minors who already have social media accounts ni a los que cuentan con el consent de los padres.

Although the mandate specifies that no sanctions will be applied against users or parents, the owners of social networks will be responsible for complying with the age limit.

In this sense, the Australian Cybersecurity Commission will be responsible for publishing rules for digital platforms and social networks to set “reasonable measures” to limit access by minors.

The law may affect social networks such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X and YouTube although they provide exceptions for platforms considered “de bajo riesgo”.

With its plan, Australia echoes the global concerns that led Spain to set a minimum age for entry una red social 14 years, aunque está previsto que la eleve a 16, ante los riesgos contra la intimidad, coacciones, amenazas y estafas informáticas.

Likewise, Puerto Rico decreed last July that 18 is the minimum age to activate an account on any social network.In Florida, USA, the minimum age is 14, and in Texas, USA, it is a similar age.

Two laws have been approved in New York: one requiring parental consent for minors under the age of 18 to use “addictive threads” based on recommendation algorithms, and another limiting the collection of data from minors.