After Australia, EU Pushes For Social Media Ban For Under-16s Amid Global Child Safety Debate

In one of its strongest stances yet on safeguarding minors from harmful social media exposure, the European Union has pushed for more stringent age restrictions and called for region-wide ban on social media for users under 16 years of, Reuters reported.

The call, though not binding as of yet, is a direct page out of Australia's book. Australia is all set to implement the first ever social media ban for children younger than 16.

Amid growing instances of cyberbullying and social-media use linked to depression and anxiety cases among teens and youngsters many countries have begun mulling over imposing a stricter framework around social media usage.

Denmark and Malaysia are also among the names that have backed Australia's decision and plan to impose social media bans of their own.

Earlier this month, citing the recent Gen Z protests in Nepal, the Supreme Court of India said it was "not inclined" to entertain a plea seeking a nationwide ban on pornography.

The apex court referred to the violent agitations staged mostly by the youth in the neighbouring country against the administration following a social media ban, remarking, "Look what happened in Nepal over a ban."

Notably, this is not the first time that a proposal on these lines was put forth in the European parliament. Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron had called for an EU regulation to ban social media for children under 15.

The resolution sought a ban for access of online platforms, video-sharing sites and AI companions without parental consent for children under 16 and an absolute ban for those under 13.

It was backed by 483 votes to 92, with 86 abstentions and argued that existing age checks on these online platforms were ineffective, ultimately resulting in easy access for kids as young as eight or nine years of age.