Australia says it will ban minors from using social media

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he wants children ‘off their phones and on the footy field’.

Australia is planning to ban children from using social media amid concerns that platforms like Instagram and TikTok are negatively affecting young people’s physical and mental health.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday that the government will launch an age verification trial in the coming months ahead of the introduction of legislation to enforce a ban.

Albanese said his centre-left Labor Party government is considering a minimum age of between 14 and 16.

Albanese said parents are “worried sick” about their children’s use of social media and are “working without a map”.

“Parents want their kids off their phones and on the footy field. So do I,” Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “We are taking this action because enough is enough.”