The Bill on setting a new minimum age of 16 for using social media is also setting a new community standard. It’s all about supporting parents.
It’s about making sure children have a childhood and parents have peace of mind.
And it’s about this parliament working together, to lock this change in. Because we are making it clear that social media companies have a social responsibility.
And sending a message to all those Mums and Dads who are worried about the impact that social media is having on their children’s wellbeing, their mental health, their confidence and sense of self.
That message is simple: we are on your side, we’ve got your back.
I want young Australians to grow up happy, active and safe.
Playing outside with their friends – off their phones and onto the footy and cricket field, the tennis and netball courts, in the swimming pool trying every sport that grabs their interest.
Learning how to win and how to lose, learning how to work as a team.
Learning about resilience and being part of their community.
Discovering music and art, being confident in the classroom, at home, confident in themselves and around their peers.
Gaining and growing from these real experiences, with real people – face-to-face.
Every parent – and every level of government – understands the benefits of these things to individuals, families and society as a whole.
That’s why we invest in grassroots sport and community facilities and all the infrastructure and programs that support them.
Because we know they provide a social benefit. In contrast, we know social media is causing social harm.
It can be a weapon for bullies, a platform for peer pressure, a driver of anxiety, a vehicle for scammers and, worst of all, a tool for online predators. And because it is young Australians who are most engaged with this technology – it is young Australians who are most at risk.
That’s why we want to set the minimum age for social media at 16.
Because as we develop and mature, we are better at spotting the fakes and the dangers.
We build up the mental resilience to ignore the worst of the nastiness.
We learn the difference between online followers – and true friends.
We learn not to measure ourselves and our lives against impossible standards, or a fake image of perfection.
But if children don’t have that chance to learn, if they don’t have the grounding of real experiences and real friendships to support them, if they fall into the vortex of thinking what happens online is all that matters.
Then we know the consequences can be devastating. I want to recognise that some of the strongest advocates for action in this area are parents grieving the loss of a child.
Mothers and fathers are determined to spare other parents the pain and sadness they have had to endure. I’ve had the solemn privilege of meeting with some of them, I know other members of this place have as well.
Their loss is unimaginable, their courage and selflessness is extraordinary. We owe it to those families – we owe it to every family – to do everything we can to help.
When it comes to the wellbeing of our young people, I don’t want Australia to wait around for the rest of the world.
I want Australia to lead the world. This Bill puts the onus on social media companies – not young people, not their parents.
We know that every law that applies to teenagers will be tested by teenagers.
This is about supporting parents and protecting children, and it is about making sure that children have a childhood and parents have peace of mind.
The penalties in this legislation apply to social media companies that don’t make sufficient effort and allow for systemic breaches.
This opinion piece was first published in The Adelaide Advertiser on Tuesday, 26 November 2024.
