Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reacted to Australia’s landmark decision.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Archewell Foundation has issued a statement praising Australia’s law banning access to social media by children under 16, which comes into force on Wednesday 10 December.
The law targets platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X and Snapchat, with companies facing fines of up to AUD$50million (£24.8million) if they fail to prevent young users from accessing their services.
In a statement titled “Australia takes bold action to protect children online. But it shouldn’t have come to this”, rcouple’s Foundation praised the Australian government’s decisive move while warning that the measure represents only a temporary solution to a deeper problem within the technology industry.
The foundation praised the country for recognizing and responding to the harmful impact technology companies have had on young people.
“This bold, decisive action to protect children at a critical time in their development sends a strong signal that a child’s mind is not a commodity to be exploited,” the statement read.
Archewell described the legislation as giving young people “valuable time back in their childhood”, although it stressed that the ban does not address the underlying problems that continue to plague social media platforms.
The Sussex family’s stance on improved online safety measures has gained a lot of support with the move, as the couple have long campaigned to save children from the harms of social media.
The statement painted a stark picture of the damage unregulated platforms were doing: “We’ve heard from too many grieving parents. Too many families destroyed by cyberbullying, feeds that radicalize children to self-harm, and algorithmic manipulation designed to maximize engagement at all costs.”
“Corporate ‘unintended consequences’ a decade ago are now part of their money strategy, and children have become their security,” the statement declared.
However, the foundation acknowledged that social media has significant capacity for positive impact, noting that platforms can foster creativity, provide educational resources and help young people discover their communities.
