Moreover, companies involved must implement the new regulations or face potential fines.

Anthony Albanese said social media is harming children, and he is calling time on it. He pledged to introduce legislation later this month to address the issue.

“The onus will be on social media platforms to demonstrate they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access. The onus won’t be on parents or young people. There’ll be no penalties for users,” Bloomberg quoted him as saying.

The long-awaited age restrictions for social media are part of a broader set of measures introduced by Albanese’s centre-left Labour government to clamp down on technology giants, which the prime minister holds responsible for the rise in misinformation and mental health issues.

Australia has a history of challenging large technology companies that run social media platforms, including a push in 2021 to make Facebook and Google pay for news content.

More recently, the government took Elon Musk’s X Corp. to court for failing to remove a video of a terrorist attack in Sydney.

The Labour government is also exploring new legislation to require social media platforms to combat misinformation and disinformation.

While the government said that it had engaged with social media companies on the age limits “through various means,” officials did not clarify which platforms would be affected, whether there was confirmation that the ban could be enforced, or what the potential penalties for companies might be.

Albanese admitted that he did not expect the laws to be fully effective or solve the issue immediately, citing the failure of alcohol restrictions to prevent underage drinking as an example.