Australia proposes legal minimum age for children accessing social media

Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian government has promised to legislate this year to enforce a minimum age for children to access social media but has yet to announce how ages will be verified. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday the government will soon trial age verification technology with a view toward banning children from opening social media accounts. The line would be drawn between the ages of 14 and 16. Several countries and U.S. states are attempting legislatiom to spare children from harm from social media, including bullying. An information technology expert says the government’s ambitions to verify age raises privacy concerns.