Anthony Albanese is to propose new laws to ban children under a certain age from registering social media accounts.
The Prime Minister will announce plans on Tuesday to introduce legislation to prevent children from accessing social media in a bid to safeguard their emotional and mental wellbeing.
A minimum age has not yet been announced, but she has previously backed moves to raise the proposed limit from 13 to 16 to give teenagers more time to mature without the social pressures that are heightened in an online environment.
“We know technology is advancing rapidly. No government will be able to protect every child from every threat, but we have to do everything we can,” Albanese said Monday.
“Parents are very concerned about this. We know they are working without a roadmap – no generation has faced this challenge before, so my message to Australian parents is that we will support them.
“Too often, social media is not social at all: it alienates children from real friends and real experiences.”
The proposed laws are understood to have the backing of all jurisdictions, with South Australia originally tipped to be the first state to implement the rules.
On Monday, South African Prime Minister Peter Malinauskas said: “This is an issue that demands swift and decisive leadership and I thank the Prime Minister for demonstrating that.”
Anthony Albanese (pictured) will announce new legislation on Tuesday
‘The evidence shows that early access to addictive social media is causing harm to our children – no different than with cigarettes or alcohol.
“When a product or service harms children, governments must act.”
South Africa’s state government has drafted a bill to ban children under the age of 13 from using social media.
He previously said the consequences for social media companies that fail to comply with the new rules would be “severe and harsh.”
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns previously said 16 would be appropriate, while Queensland Premier Steven Miles suggested 14.
The legislation will be based on the government’s $6.5 million ‘age guarantee trial’, which began on July 1 as one of Labor’s 2024-25 Federal Budget commitments.
New legislation would prevent children under a certain age from registering to use social media (file image)
Labour had promised to trial age-control technologies that could be effective in preventing access to pornography before the age of 18 and restricting access to social media for teenagers aged 13 to 16.
The first and second phases involved research into attitudes towards age-safe technologies, along with consultations with parents, academics, young people and digital platforms.
The third phase will begin this week and will involve testing the technology.
The legislation would impose a “duty of care” on social media companies, meaning they would have to ban children under a certain age from signing up.
Platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram would have to take reasonable steps to prevent access.
Failure to comply with this rule could result in legal action on behalf of the child who has suffered significant mental or physical harm.
