Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and Reddit are forbidden from creating or keeping accountsbelonging to users under 16 in Australia. Streaming platforms Kick and Twitch are also on the government’s blacklist, as are message boards Threads and X. Sarah Hoffman from Klikd says Australia’s new law is “monumental.” “There will be loopholes.
Kids are going to find a workaround as they always do. But for the very first time, why this is so groundbreaking is, what this law is doing, is for the first time, it is taking the responsibility away from parents, to monitor this very overwhelming and difficult space, putting it rightfully back on the tech companies where it belongs.” “Kids are very, very clever, and, you know, they’re already finding workarounds. So, they’re doing things like changing their date of birth, changing their locations, changing their email addresses, and contacting their parents using VPNs (Virtual Private Network) .
Some of them are even doing something like writing in their bio: ‘this is a parent-managed account,’” Hoffman told702. “That’s a million-dollar question. As with everything in our country, it turns to enforcement.
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We have one of the most sophisticated legislative processes, one of the best constitutions in the world, but really, what it comes down to is enforcement, and unfortunately, I think, you know, that is a very, very big question mark for us. “But what is encouraging about this ban is that it certainly has increased awareness globally on the need for a ban in the first place. It’s opened up conversations and given parents an opportunity to speak to their own children and ask what they think about it. We can all see teenagers collectively rolling their eyes right now, but I think, in time, it is a welcome relief,” Hoffman said.
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