Australia's 'Prohibition of SNS under 16' Waves..."Excluding YouTube" controversy over effectiveness

[Anchor]
For the first time in the world, a bill to ban teenagers under the age of 16 from using SNS has passed the Australian Parliament.

Although it is the strongest regulation among youth SNS addiction measures, some apps such as YouTube are excluded and there are criticisms that it is not effective because it is not easy to check the age.

Reporter Jeong Yu-shin's report.

[Reporter]
Australia's House and Senate have passed a strong bill to ban teenagers under the age of 16 from using social media altogether.

Major SNS platforms around the world, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and X, are targeted.

If a person under the age of 16 creates an account on that platform, a fine of up to 50 million Australian dollars and 45 billion won in our money can be imposed on the company.

It is the first time in the world to ban the use of youth SNS regardless of parental consent, and it will be implemented in earnest from next year after a trial operation.

[Anthony Albany / Australian Prime Minister: The platform has a social responsibility to put children's safety first]

In Australia in April, a 16-year-old teenager who went on a stabbing rampage at a church emerged as a social problem after he was found to have interacted with extremists on social media.

Foreign media reported that more than 70% of Australians, including Australian parent organizations, support the bill.

However, even before its implementation, questions have been raised about its effectiveness.

This is because messenger apps such as YouTube and WhatsApp, which have controversial harmful content, have been excluded for educational purposes.

In particular, regulated platform companies criticize it as hasty legislation in the absence of underage verification technology.

You can find a detour or use the Internet as much as you want.

Similar regulations are being discussed in Europe, including France and the United Kingdom, amid mixed reactions.

[Havier Martinez / Spanish middle school student(12 years old): This is a wrong regulation. I should have protested and blocked it.]

[Pierluigi Guiani / Italian college student (19 years old): I agree that social media can hurt adolescents' minds because it is addictive.]

In Australia, Reuters reported that the ban on youth social media is an election strategy to gather support from parents ahead of next year's general election.

This is YTN Jeong Yu-shin.

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video: Lim Hyun-chul