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Ban on under 16s accessing Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and

X

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Govt cites risks to mental and physical health

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Ban could start as soon as next year

(Adds quotes and context on reasons for ban, opposition

support, paragraphs 2, 4-5, 7, TikTok comment paragraph 10)

By Alasdair Pal and Byron Kaye

SYDNEY, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Australia Prime Minister

Anthony Albanese said on Thursday the government would legislate

for a ban on social media for children under 16, a policy the

government says is world-leading.

Australia is trialing an age-verification system to assist

in blocking children from accessing social media platforms, as

part of a ban that could come into force as soon as the end of

next year.

"Social media is doing harm to our kids and I'm calling time

on it," Albanese told a news conference.

Albanese cited the risks to physical and mental health of

children from excessive social media use, in particular the

risks to girls from harmful depictions of body image, and

misogynist content aimed at boys.

"If you're a 14-year-old kid getting this stuff, at a time

where you're going through life's changes and maturing, it can

be a really difficult time and what we're doing is listening and

then acting," he said.

Legislation will be introduced into parliament this year,

with the laws coming into effect 12 months after being ratified

by lawmakers, he added.

The opposition Liberal Party has expressed support for a

ban.

There will be no exemptions for children who have parental

consent, or who already have accounts.

"The onus will be on social media platforms to demonstrate

they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access," Albanese

said. "The onus won't be on parents or young people."

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said platforms

impacted would include Meta Platforms' ( META ) Instagram and

Facebook, as well as Bytedance's TikTok and Elon Musk's X.

Alphabet's YouTube would likely also fall within the

scope of the legislation, she added.

TikTok declined to comment, while Meta, Alphabet and X did

not respond to requests for comment.

A number of countries have already vowed to curb social

media use by children through legislation, though Australia's

policy is one of the most stringent.

France last year proposed a ban on social media for those

under 15, though users were able to avoid the ban with parental

consent.

The United States has for decades required technology

companies to seek parental consent to access the data of

children under 13, leading to most social media platforms

banning those under that age from accessing their services.