“Enough is enough”: Albanese to introduce social media ban for children
Australian children could soon be banned from accessing social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok amid growing concerns around its impacts on young minds.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed on Tuesday that his government would introduce landmark legislation to enforce a minimum age limit for access to social media, with the minimum age yet to be determined.
This follows similar announcements made from Victoria and South Australia, with SA proposing an outright ban for kids under 13 and parental consent between the ages of 14 and 15, an option that is being considered to be implemented across the country.
“We are taking this action because enough is enough,” Albanese said in a statement provided before the announcement.
“Parents are worried sick about this.
“The safety and mental and physical health of our young people is paramount.”
The legislation will be introduced before the end of this year, after an age verification trial, although the age limits and start date have yet to be finalised.
The government said the legislation would be worked on in national cabinet and draw on a report by former High Court Chief Justice Robert French commissioned by the SA government and released on Sunday.
The report includes a draft bill to ban children under 14 from social media and making mandatory for companies to gain parental consent for 14 and 15-year-olds to use their platforms.
On Tuesday morning, Albanese told Sunrise host Natalie Barr that he wanted to see kids “off their devices and on to the footy fields or the netball courts to get them interacting with real people having real experiences."
“And we know that social media is doing social harm.
“We want to make sure we get it right, but we want to make sure as well that we act which is why we have said we will introduce legislation before the end of this year."
When the Sunrise host pointed out that "no country in the world has successfully been able to do this," with young teens finding alternative ways to access adult sites including using a VPN, Albanese replied: “that is why we are doing the trial to get it right”.
“If it was easy it would have been done around the world. But just because something is hard doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try.
“We want to work with parents to work with companies, to work with state and territory governments to make sure that we act in this area.”
Albanese also said that allowing children unfettered access to smartphones and social media have had devastating impacts for some families, including through online bullying and access to material which causes social harm.
“The safety and mental and physical health of our young people is paramount,’’ he said.
“We are taking this action because enough is enough.”
Investigations, trials and negotiations with social media companies are currently ongoing, with Albanese saying the social media giants also needed to take responsibility.
“They’re not above everyone else. They can’t just say, ‘We’re a big multinational company. We can do whatever we like’, regardless of the harm that’s being caused,” he said.
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas, who led the change to introduce the bans, said his state’s bill would require platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to ensure they took all reasonable steps to prevent children from getting access.
“This is a problem that demands swift and decisive leadership, and I thank the Prime Minister for demonstrating it,’’ the SA Premier said.
“The evidence shows early access to addictive social media is causing our kids harm.
“This is no different to cigarettes or alcohol. When a product or service hurts children, governments must act.”
The National Cabinet discussed the issue formally and informally last week, with all jurisdictions committed to tackling the issue.
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