Press review – Australia bans social media for children under 16

On Wednesday 10 December, Australia implemented a law prohibiting children under the age of 16 from accessing social media. Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat will now have to delete accounts belonging to users under the age of 16 and implement age verification systems to comply. This is a world first, coming amid growing concerns about young people's overexposure to screens and the negative consequences this can have.

When questioned by numerous media outlets, Justine Atlan, Managing Director of the e-Enfance / 3018 Association, points out that beyond the age at which minors can or cannot access digital platforms, The challenge lies more in developing an effective and robust age verification system. :

«We are more in favour of applying the 13-year-old rule that social networks themselves promote in their terms and conditions of use. Age checks should be put in place to ensure that this limit is respected.»

She also emphasises that current tools do not provide sufficient protection, A simple declaration of majority does not address the current challenges of protecting minors.

While 67% of children aged 6 to 10* are already on social media, the need to’a digital environment in which minors can be distinguished from adults, and thus have access to services and content tailored to their age group and their psychological development is urgent.

An experiment to watch closely:  For Justine Atlan, the main benefit of the Australian approach lies in the obligations imposed on platforms: «What will be interesting to watch is the results of the platforms.».

This implementation will serve as a valuable testing ground. for France. The challenge will be to measure the real impact of the obligations imposed on platforms, the effectiveness of age verification systems and any possible workarounds, in order to learn lessons for the application of our own system.