LETTER FROM SYDNEY Students look at their phones, in Melbourne, Australia, November 28, 2024. WILLIAM WEST / AFP How to communicate without Snapchat? The group of four high school students, just out of class in a leafy suburb north of Sydney, never really asked themselves the question. “It’s the simplest and most effective way, why would I use any other way? », says Angus Low, 15, with a mischievous look. This teenager, who also spends almost four hours a day on TikTok, will however have to think about it. On November 28, Australia adopted a law banning social media for under-16s. A world first. The text, the result of long debates, will come into force in November 2025. It requires platforms to take “reasonable measures” to implement age verification systems. In the event of non-compliance, they risk fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (30.47 million euros). Among the networks concerned are Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and even X. On the other hand, messaging applications or those dedicated to education and health are excluded from this regulation, just like YouTube. Read the column: Should social networks be banned for under 16s? Read later “This is a measure that we have been calling for for a very long time. This legislation sends a clear message to society: social networks represent a danger for young people. It also allows families to rely on this message, sent by the authorities, in their exchanges with their adolescents at home,” says Dany Elachi, co-founder of The Heads Up Alliance, an organization that supports those who wish to raise their children without smartphones or social networks. “A rigid and inappropriate approach” In Australia, as everywhere else in the world, concerns are growing about the harmful effects of excessive use of these platforms: addiction generated by their algorithms, impact on concentration, drop in self-esteem , deterioration of mental health, but also increased exposure to misinformation, cyberharassment and violence. “Nearly two thirds of Australians aged 14 to 17 have encountered extremely harmful online content, such as drug abuse, suicide or self-harm,” detailed Michelle Rowland, Minister for Communications, during the presentation of the text. The Labor Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, very committed to this issue and in the midst of an electoral campaign for the legislative elections scheduled for May 2025, benefited from the support of a large part of the conservative opposition. You have 56.68% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
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