Australia plans to make parental consent mandatory for minors to use social media

(CNN) – Australia plans to force social media companies to obtain parental consent for users under the age of 16 and is threatening to impose fines of up to AU $ 10 million (US $ 7.5 million) on internet platforms that do not comply. , according to the bill published this Monday.
Social media companies, including anonymous forums like Reddit and smartphone dating apps like Bumble, would also be required to take all reasonable steps to determine the age of users and prioritize the interests of minors when it comes to collect data, as per the online privacy bill.

The proposed new rules would place Australia among the strictest countries in terms of age controls for social media, and build on efforts to curb the power of big tech companies, following the mandatory payment of media licenses. and plans to toughen laws against online defamation and misinformation.

This month, Facebook took on the wrath of US lawmakers after a former company employee and whistleblower handed over thousands of documents about irregularities to Congressional investigators, amid concerns that the company had harmed children’s mental health and stoked social divisions, a fact cited by Australian lawmakers on Monday.

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“We make sure that the data and privacy [de los australianos] be protected and handled with care, “Attorney General Michaelia Cash said in a statement.

“Our draft legislation means that these companies will be severely punished if they do not meet that standard,” he added.

Deputy Minister of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention David Coleman said that the “leak of Facebook’s own internal research demonstrates the impact that social media platforms can have on the body image and mental health of young people.”

Facebook’s Director of Public Policy for Australia and New Zealand Mia Garlick said in a statement that the company was reviewing the bill and understood “the importance of ensuring that Australia’s privacy laws evolve at a pace comparable to that of innovation. and the new technologies that we are experiencing today. “

Under the bill, the privacy watchdog, the Australian Information Commissioner’s Office, would be given full investigative and enforcement powers, with the ability to fine a company up to AU $ 10 million, 10% of your annual billing or triple the economic benefit of any infraction.