‘We will no longer stand by’: Austria plans social media ban for under-14s
Al Jazeera
Austrian officials highlight addiction and ill-health while advocating for stricter age restrictions.
Austria plans to ban children under 14 from using social media, with an official saying certain online sites are addictive and making young people “sick”.
“Austria is introducing a compulsory minimum age of 14 for the use of social media platforms,” conservative junior minister for digitisation, Alexander Proll, told a joint news conference on Friday.
Proell added that draft legislation would be drawn up by June. Cabinet members from Austria’s two other governing parties were also in attendance.
“We will decisively protect children and young people in future from the negative effects of social media,” Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler of the Social Democrats said.
“We will no longer stand by and watch while these platforms make our children addicted and often also sick … The risks associated with this use were ignored for long enough, and now it is time to act,” he added.
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