Social media ban: European leaders back Australia’s plan in New York

European leaders have hailed Australia’s world-first move to limit young people’s access to social media, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he will consider ways that Australia could contribute to an international peacekeeping mission in postwar Gaza.

On the last day of his visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, Albanese hosted an event at UN headquarters to promote Australia’s ban on children aged under 16 from operating social media accounts and to discuss other ways to prevent young people from being harmed by online bullying and radicalisation.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen praised Australia for the “bold decision” to seek to regulate children’s access to social media, hailing it as “an example of what determined countries can do”.

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