MELBOURNE – Australia plans to demand social media platforms take action to prevent online harms to users, such as bullying, predatory behavior and algorithms that push destructive content, the government said on Thursday.

“The Digital Duty of Care will put the onus on digital platforms to proactively keep Australians safe and better prevent online harm,” Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said in a statement.

The proposed changes to the Online Safety Act were announced ahead of the government introducing the world-first legislation to Parliament next week. Ban children under 16 X from platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Critics have argued that removing children from social media reduces platforms’ incentives to provide safer online environments.

Social media has been blamed for causing an increase in the number of children taking their own lives and developing eating disorders due to bullying and exposure to negative body images.

Rowland said holding tech companies legally responsible for keeping Australians safe was an approach already taken. England And European Union.

Digital businesses will need to take reasonable steps to prevent foreseeable harm to their platforms and services. The minister said the duty of care framework will be underpinned by risk assessment and mitigation and informed by safety principles by design.

Enacting a duty of care means that services cannot “set it and forget it”. Instead, he said, their obligations will mean they must continually identify and mitigate potential risks as technology and service offerings change and evolve.

Categories of harm included in the legislation include harm to young people and mental health, promotion of harmful practices and illegal activities.

The government did not say when duty of care legislation would be introduced to Parliament or outline the penalties for breaches.

Digital Industry Group Inc., better known as DIGI, an advocate for the digital industry in Australia, has welcomed the government’s efforts to “future-proof” the Online Safety Act.

“Together, DIGI members represent some of the most secure parts of the Internet, and their work to keep people safe on their services never stops,” DIGI chief executive Sunita Bose said in a statement.

“While we await further details on this announcement, DIGI members will continue to drive security design across their services and work constructively with the government to keep Australians safe online,” Bose added.

Swinburne University digital media expert Belinda Barnet described the duty of care as a “great idea”.

“It’s pretty pioneering to expect platforms that host Australian users to have a duty of care in terms of the content they display and the experiences they deliver,” Barnet said.

“This ensures that platforms take responsibility, and that’s not happening right now. There is an assumption that they are a neutral third party. They are not responsible for the impact of this content,” Barnet added.