"Korea Should Adopt This Too..." Australia Becomes First Country to Ban SNS Use for Those Under 16

[Financial News] Starting from the 10th, Australia will block social networking service (SNS) accounts for users under the age of 16 to protect teenagers. As Australia is the first among major countries considering similar measures, there is growing interest in the effectiveness of this policy.
At the end of last year, the Australian government passed legislation imposing fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (approximately 48.5 billion won) on SNS platforms that fail to take reasonable steps to prevent users under 16 from holding accounts.
The regulation applies to ten platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Snapchat, Reddit, Twitch, and Kick, with the possibility of more being added in the future. Users and parents are not subject to penalties.
Australia’s online safety regulator, the eSafety Commissioner, clarified that the measure is technically a 'suspension of account use' rather than a complete 'ban.' This is because users can still access SNS content without logging in. The government believes that simply preventing account ownership will protect young people from addictive features such as algorithms and push notifications.
Accordingly, SNS platforms must delete existing accounts of users under 16 or deactivate them until the user turns 16, and prevent the creation of new accounts. The main challenge lies in verifying users’ ages. Unlike Korea, which has a national ID system, Australia is expected to use not only ID submission but also Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based facial recognition technology.
Several information technology (IT) companies, including the UK startup Yoti, already provide services that verify age by analyzing user-submitted selfies to platforms such as Meta Platforms Inc. and TikTok. Meta Platforms Inc., in particular, stated that it uses various methods to identify users under 16, but did not disclose specific details.
This is intended to prevent users from finding ways to circumvent the restrictions. However, these age verification methods have a 'significant' margin of error, raising the possibility that users over 16 may be mistakenly classified as underage and blocked.

Opinions are divided on the effectiveness of this regulation. The Australian government and supporters argue that it is an essential measure to protect teenagers and that strong legislative action will prompt companies to actively enhance protections.
On the other hand, critics warn that a blanket ban may simply drive teenagers to other platforms not subject to the restrictions or encourage them to find ways to circumvent the rules. SNS platforms are complying with the law but have expressed opposition to the regulation.
Nevertheless, countries around the world are closely watching Australia’s example and moving to introduce similar measures. The Danish government is preparing legislation to block SNS use for those under 15, while Malaysia has also decided to prohibit SNS use for those under 16. New Zealand’s ruling New Zealand National Party is pushing for a law similar to Australia’s, and Spain recently mandated that users under 16 must have the consent of a legal guardian to use SNS.
In addition, Norway, Singapore, and the Republic of Indonesia have shown interest in Australia’s policy. Last month, the European Union (EU) passed a resolution setting the minimum age for accessing SNS and AI chatbots without parental consent at 16.
bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun Reporter