Amnesty International said Wednesday that the new Australian law prohibiting children and young people under 16 from using social media is an “ineffective quick fix” that will not prevent online harms.

The criticism was issued by Amnesty International’s technology division in response to a new Australian law, effective December 10, which mandates that social media platforms prevent new accounts for underage users and remove existing ones, a model also currently under consideration by the European Union , Malaysia, and other countries .

The government’s rationale for the ban, citing mental health concerns and a need to protect children from predatory algorithms, highlights a fundamental clash with digital rights advocates. Critics contend that such blunt restrictions infringe

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