Global Kids Online Safety Crackdown

0:00Parents and kids advocates in the United States are pushing hard for federal rules to protect children online, but progress is slow. The Kids Online Safety Act passed the Senate in 2024 yet remains stuck. Meanwhile, countries around the world are rolling out tough restrictions on social media for minors, from outright bans to strict supervision requirements. Australia led the way last year with a nationwide ban on social media for anyone under 16. Forms like Tiktok, Instagram, and Snapchat face finds up to $50 million Australian dollars or about $34 million US dollars if they let. Kids slipped through. Brazil just activated its own law this month, forcing kids under 16 to link accounts to a Guardian while banning addictive features like Infinite. Scroll in auto-playing videos. Indonesia is following suit with a ban on high-risk platforms for under 16-year-olds starting gradually from March 28th. This makes it the first in Southeast Asia to do so, targeting sites like YouTube, Tiktok,

1:04and Roblox. Malaysia is tightening rules too, requiring big platforms to get licenses, verify ages, and plan a similar under 16 ban this year. In Europe, nations are wrapping up protections as well. France approved a ban for under 15-year-olds, effective next school year in September, alongside phone bans and schools. Spain, Denmark, and the United Kingdom are considering or introducing limits for young teens to curb harmful content and screen time. These global moves highlight growing worries about online harms, sparking cheers from parents, but debates over privacy, free speech, and enforcement. Challenges as platforms adapt worldwide. I'm Corey with the story that your Canada News today update AI powered and always on.