Australia's government has pledged to introduce what it described as "world-leading" legislation to ban children under the age of 16 from social media.
"Social media is harming our children," said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
"I have spoken to thousands of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. They, like me, are concerned about our children's online safety," he added.
It is reported that the legislation will be introduced in the country's parliament during the last two weeks of this year's session, starting on November 18, writes skynews, according to Telegraph.
Albanese said the age limit will come into effect a year after the law is passed - with platforms including Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok.
YouTube is also likely to be within the scope of the legislation, Australia's Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has announced.
Platforms will be penalized for violating the age limit, but minors and their parents will not.
There will be no exceptions for children who have parental consent, or who already have an account.
However, Albanese said there would be exceptions in circumstances such as the need to continue with access to educational services.
Meanwhile, Facebook and Instagram owner Meta said the platforms will respect any age restrictions the government wants to impose.
Antigone Davis, chief security officer at Meta, said: "However, what is missing is a deeper discussion about how we implement protection."
Alternatively, more than 140 Australian and international academics with expertise in areas related to technology and child welfare signed an open letter to Albanese last month opposing an age limit on social media as "too open an instrument to address risks effectively".
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