Australia intends to enact a new law that will prohibit children from using social media.
According to a report in Kan News, the Prime Minister said that the intention is to set a minimum age at which Australian citizens will be allowed to use social media. At this time, it is not yet known what the minimum age for using social media will be - but according to various estimates, it is expected to range between 14 and 16.
This is a move that comes out of concern for the mental and physical health of children.
The Prime Minister said: "I want to see children off their mobile phones. I want to see them walking in the fields and hitting the tennis courts. We want children to have real experiences with real people because we know that social media causes social harm."
If the law is indeed enacted, Australia will be among the first countries in the world to restrict minors' access to social media.
However, not everyone agrees with the government's intention. One person who was particularly outspoken was Daniel Agnus, director of the Center for Online Media Research at the University of Queensland: "This stupid move will deprive many young people of healthy and vital participation in the digital world."
It should be noted that attempts at a similar move in the European Union failed on the grounds that this constitutes a violation of the rights of minors to access the Internet.
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