Australia is set to ban kids under 16 from social media. Depending on the definition, online games with social features could be in the firing line – which would be detrimental.

The Albanese government has announced a plan to ban kids under 16 from social media. There’s no explanation why this age was chosen, and the decision flies in the face of expert advice.

There’s ever-evolving ways for children and young people to be harmed online. Here’s what kids think about the harms they experience and how to prevent them.

Children under 14 would be banned from social media, while teens aged 14–15 would need parental consent. But this law will be challenging to implement.

Meta wants Apple and Google to force parents to approve apps on their child’s phone. A better solution would be for the tech giants to cooperate.

Regulating how kids access the internet – including social media – must balance protection from harm with children’s rights to expression and information.

There are various methods for estimating or verifying an online user’s age, none of them foolproof. Importantly, is this the social media future we want?

The Australian government will test tools to shield kids from inappropriate material online. Even though there’s no one easy fix, these checks could help.