The rise of toxicity on social media and the lack of proper safety regulations have pushed Australia, a major US ally, to ban social media for children under 16. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the “world-leading” legislation would be introduced in the Australian parliament next week. All state and territory leaders have already signed up to the age limit plan.

“This one is for mums and dads. They, like me, are worried sick about our children’s online safety. I want Australian families to know that the government has your back,” he said, according to the BBC.

Details are scarce on how Australia plans to implement the under-16 social media ban, but the government has confirmed it will apply to youth and teenagers who are already on social platforms. The parents’ consent also does not matter because the legislation does not make any exceptions.

Additionally, social media companies will need to ensure compliance and prevent underage users from accessing their platforms.

Australia’s legislation will come into force 12 months after it comes into force. That should give social media companies enough time to implement age-appropriate restrictions. But Meta, owner of Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms, says it should be the responsibility of app store operators such as Apple and Google to monitor young people’s use of social media.

“The challenge is that the technology is not quite there yet in terms of having a perfect solution,” Mia Garlick, Meta’s regional policy director for Australia, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Friday (via Bloomberg). She added that it would be more appropriate for app operators to have age restrictions on their platforms rather than social media companies.

“If every single app has to implement its own age-appropriate controls, then the burden is really going to fall on young people and parents for each of the different apps that a young person wants to use,” she said.

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