Australia, Spain lead efforts to combat children's mobile phone use

The Guardian highlights in its article that in an effort to address growing concerns about children's mobile phone use, Australia has introduced new legislation aimed at restricting social media access for minors. 

Australia and Spain are leading the charge in addressing children's use of mobile phones and tablets, with efforts ranging from strict laws to community-driven initiatives.

The rise of affordable mobile phones has provided parents with a convenient way to stay connected with their children, but it has also sparked ongoing debates about screen time, safety, and social media use.

With growing concerns about phone use and the decreasing age at which children receive their first device, countries worldwide are considering ways to address the issue both in schools and at home.

While no perfect solution has been found, various proposals are being discussed, including strict laws and community-driven efforts.

As Australia and Spain move toward implementing stringent regulations, our correspondents explore some of the most notable approaches to managing screen time.

In November, Australia made international news when its parliament passed a law banning children under 16 from using social media. However, many details regarding how the law will be enforced and which platforms it will target are still uncertain.

While some Australian states already prohibit mobile phone use in schools, the new federal law will extend the ban to social media for children under 16 by the end of the year. The communications minister will have the authority to decide which platforms will be included, though it is widely anticipated that Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok will be affected.

YouTube is expected to be exempt from the ban due to its claimed educational benefits.

The new legislation places the responsibility for age verification on the platforms, requiring them to take “reasonable steps” to confirm users’ ages, or face fines of up to A$50 million (£25 million). A trial of the technology is currently in progress, with the final version potentially including methods such as facial age estimation, behavior-based age assessments, and the use of existing authentication services.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has stated that the goal of the ban is to ensure that “children have a childhood,” emphasizing that it aims to encourage children to “play outside with their friends – off their phones and onto the footie and cricket fields, tennis and netball courts, or in the swimming pool trying every sport that grabs their interest.”