Australia se convirtió el miércoles 10 de diciembre en el primer país del mundo que prohíbe el acceso a las redes sociales a los menores de 16 años, bloqueándoles el acceso a plataformas como TikTok, YouTube, Instagram y Facebook. La prohibición está siendo seguida de cerca por otros países que están considerando medidas similares basadas en la edad, a medida que aumenta la preocupación por el impacto de las redes sociales en la salud y la seguridad de los niños.

New South Wales

Australia has enacted a law requiring major social media platforms to block users under 16, aiming to shield young people from online bullying, harmful content, and addictive algorithms. This initiative has sparked global interest, with countries like Malaysia and Denmark planning similar bans and the European Parliament considering EU-wide restrictions.

Despite these efforts, enforcement challenges persist, as seen in Germany, Italy, and France, where parental consent is required but underage usage remains widespread. Social media companies maintain a minimum age of 13, yet official data shows many children under this age continue to access these platforms.

¿Seguirán otros países la prohibición australiana de las redes sociales a los adolescentes?

El mundo está pendiente de la aplicación en Australia de una ley histórica que obliga a las principales plataformas de redes sociales a bloquear a los usuarios menores de 16 años, una medida destinada a protegerlos del acoso en línea, los contenidos nocivos y los algoritmos adictivos. Puede que Australia sea la primera en actuar, pero otros países están estudiando medidas de este tipo. Malasia está a punto de hacer lo mismo y prohibir las redes sociales a los usuarios menores de 16 años el año que viene. A la espera de una votación formal, Dinamarca dice que también prohibirá las redes sociales a los menores de 15 años, aunque los padres podrán eximir a sus hijos a partir de los 13 años. En Alemania, Italia y Francia, los padres tienen que dar su consentimiento para los hijos, de 13, 14 y 15 años respectivamente, para utilizar las redes sociales. Pero en realidad, estas leyes europeas han sido difíciles de aplicar. Al mismo tiempo, los estudiantes franceses han cuestionado los beneficios de la prohibición australiana, incluida una estudiante de medicina que dio su nombre como Emma. También estamos acostumbrados a las redes sociales desde los 12 años, que no veo por años que podamos ser restringidos de usar al menos Instagram o cosas por el estilo. Y Antoine Maziere, de 18 años. Siempre es mejor respetar la libertad de las personas, y creo que la educación de los padres debería ser la forma de resolver este problema, en lugar de tener un gobierno tomando medidas sobre la totalidad de la población. El Parlamento Europeo apoya una prohibición de las redes sociales en la UE para los menores de 16 años, sin el consentimiento de los padres, y una prohibición total para los menores de 13 años. La legisladora europea Christelle Schaldemusch afirma que podrían aprender mucho de la prohibición australiana. Cómo se designan las plataformas que deben formar parte de ella, eso es, por ejemplo, algo que podríamos aprender. Creo que también podríamos aprender de cómo protegemos los datos de los niños, pero también del hecho de que algunos se saltarán la prohibición. ¿Qué hacen los australianos a este respecto? ¿Cómo podemos trabajar con los gigantes tecnológicos para que ellos también tengan una obligación? Algunos lugares están estudiando otras opciones, como la aplicación en Gran Bretaña de una ley de seguridad en línea para impedir que los menores accedan a contenidos nocivos. El regulador del ciberespacio chino tiene lo que se llama un programa de Modo Minero que requiere restricciones a nivel de dispositivo y reglas específicas para aplicaciones para restringir el tiempo de pantalla en función de la edad. Ley de Protección de la Privacidad de los Niños en Internet se centra en impedir la recogida de datos personales de menores de 13 años. Por ahora, plataformas de medios sociales como TikTok, Facebook y Snapchat dicen que los usuarios tienen que tener al menos 13 años para registrarse. Pero los datos oficiales de varios países europeos muestran que un gran número de niños menores de 13 años tienen cuentas en las redes sociales.

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Breakdown