Australia plans to force parental consent for minors on social media
Live MintAustralia unveiled plans on Monday to make social media companies obtain parental consent for users under the age of 16, with multimillion dollar fines for failing to comply. Draft legislation to enhance online privacy protections would require companies such as Facebook, anonymous forum Reddit, smartphone dating app Bumble and Facebook-owned messager Whatsapp to take all reasonable steps to determine users' ages and prioritise children's interests when collecting data. Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention David Coleman said "Facebook's own internal research demonstrates the impact social media platforms can have on body image and the mental health of young people". In a previously-commissioned report published on Monday, privacy watchdog the Information Commissioner found that while most social media providers had an age minimum of 13, the limit was enforced by "self-attestation" rather than independent verification.