Australia plans to establish a minimum age limit for children to use social media, citing mental health and physical inactivity concerns.
Personal rights advocates and those who favour the use of legal technology in today's society are up in arms about how this legislation could negatively impact ‘underground' online activity, such as private forums and encrypted messaging, which could be forced further underground and become more difficult to monitor.
There is also uncertainty about the efficacy of the proposed laws, with many of the view they will be virtually unenforceable given that users can easily provide platforms with incorrect ages and/or names when creating accounts.
But the government is pressing ahead with what many have described as a flawed response to online bullying and lack of exercise, seemingly believing that banning kids rather than educating them and providing better support systems as well as recreational facilities is the way to go.
