Age, controls and consent What are the social media rules around the world?
The Guardian|November 30, 2024
The law approved by parliament on Thursday forces tech firms from Instagram and Facebook's owner Meta to TikTok to stop minors logging in or face fines of up to AU$50m (£25m).
Age, controls and consent What are the social media rules around the world?

Australia A trial of methods to enforce it will start in January, with the ban to take effect in a year.

Tech's own regulation Social media platforms including TikTok, Facebook and Snapchat say people need to be at least 13 to sign up. Child protection advocates say control is insufficient, however, and official data in several European countries shows huge numbers of children under 13 have social media accounts.

The UK Britain has no current plans for Australia-style restrictions. But the minister for technology, Peter Kyle, has said everything is on the table when it comes to keeping people safe online and has launched a study to explore the impact of smartphone and social media use specifically on children.

He said the regulator Ofcom must have regard to government priorities such as safety by design and transparency and accountability, as it enforces the Online Safety Act from next year.

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