American talk show host Oprah Winfrey has praised Australia's decision to ban social media for under-16s from next week, saying the move would help young people socialise more. The law, due to take effect on December 10, will block children and teenagers from platforms such as TikTok, Meta's Instagram and Snap's Snapchat. The government says the ban will protect young people from harmful content and online predators.
"I think you’re going to change the lives of an entire generation of kids who are going to have better lives," Winfrey said at an event in Sydney on Thursday night, according to local media.
Winfrey, who is currently on a nationwide speaking tour of Australia, said she was particularly concerned about the impact of the internet on young boys.
"There are all of these young people who cannot actually communicate or have a conversation, particularly young boys because they become addicted to porn so early and don’t know how to actually ask somebody out on a date, haven’t experienced the socialisation of talking to a real person," she said.
"So once again, Australia leads the way for the rest of the world." Governments across the world are watching the impact of the ban, a world first that carries a fine of up to A$49.5 million ($33 million). The majority of affected platforms have said they will comply.
Some 96% of Australian teenagers under 16 - more than a million of the country's 27 million population - have social media accounts, according to Australia's internet regulator.