Amid growing concerns about the negative impact of social media on young people, Australia is emerging as a "policy laboratory" when applying a ban on people under 16 years old using popular platforms.
Australia has stepped up the implementation of this regulation after receiving wide international attention. Lawmakers in many countries, from Spain to Malaysia, are considering applying similar measures.
According to experts, Australia's stance on this policy is of great significance.
The whole world is watching Australia in this experiment," said Jeannie Paterson, an expert in AI and digital ethics at the University of Melbourne, adding that any hesitation could weaken the government's credibility.
After the ban took effect from December, the Australian government recorded about 4.7 million accounts suspected of being of minors being invalidated. However, new reports show that enforcement still has many loopholes.
Nearly 1/3 of parents said their children under 16 years old still have social media accounts, while two-thirds of platforms do not require age verification.
Faced with this reality, Australia has opened investigations into a series of large platforms such as Meta (Facebook, Instagram), TikTok, Google (YouTube) and Snapchat.
According to regulations, platforms must take steps to prevent children from creating accounts, otherwise they may face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (AUD).
Australia's policy is creating a strong spillover effect. The UK, Canada and some US lawmakers have actively explored this model. At least 8 countries have expressed their desire to apply similar restrictions.
However, the driving force does not only come from domestic policies. Recent rulings in the US, in which Meta was asked to pay hundreds of millions of USD in fines for child safety violations, have contributed to shaping public opinion and increasing pressure on platforms.
Experts believe that these lawsuits could force technology companies to change product designs to a safer direction, not only in the US but globally.
Despite achieving some initial results, Australia's ban still faces many challenges. Reports show that online bullying and image abuse have not decreased significantly, while parents face difficulties reporting violations.
In fact, the problem is not only with parents or children, but with the fact that technology corporations have not fully fulfilled their responsibilities.
Experts believe that the future of this policy depends on the ability to balance between control and effective implementation.
If successful, Australia's model could become a global standard in protecting children in the digital space.
