In Australia, there have been talks about banning social media platforms for those under 16. The Online Safety Act is likely to pass before the end of this year to be introduced in 2025. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor government introduced the bill this week, which is already being contended by entities such as the Australian Human Rights Commission. Many platforms outlined in the Act are very popular and used worldwide, including Snapchat, Reddit, Instagram, and X. However, what about services like PSN?
The passing of this bill could very well “interfere with the rights of children and young people,” according to the Commission. However, it would also affect every Australian looking to prove they are not underage to use these platforms. What’s incredibly interesting is that social media sites, including YouTube and PlayStation Network, will not be affected and will not require age verification from users.
YouTube makes sense, as educational content can be taken from it, but PSN does not. The online gaming service will still allow players to socialize and play games online with other players. I suppose that because of the number of players in Australia who use PSN, it would be too difficult to police it from a government standpoint. Many incredibly popular games nowadays also require a consistent online connection, which is likely very difficult to restrict. Regardless, the Albanese government only allowed 24 hours for people to submit their concerns to them, which has already closed since.
Hopefully, this will also extend to other online gaming social platforms, including Nintendo Online and Xbox’s Game Pass. The idea of being unable to enjoy the online community of the games available on those platforms, especially the ones that are live-service, is unfathomable to me. Fortunately, PlayStation fans living in Australia can breathe a sigh of relief when they turn on their consoles after the bill passes.
