Australia to introduce this month legislation to ban social media for children under 16, PM says

FILE PHOTO: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks during a press conference at the Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, June 17, 2024. Lukas Coch/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday his government would introduce this month the legislation to ban social media for children under 16 years.

Australia is trialing an age-verification system to assist in blocking children from accessing social media platforms, as part of a range of measures that include some of the toughest controls imposed by any country to date.

(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Himani Sarkar)