Parents always worry about their children.
Because we love them, we do everything in our power to keep them safe.
We want our kids to reach adulthood confident and comfortable in their own skin.
Technology has brought society so many advantages.
It allows young people to engage with the world and with one another.
Social platforms allow kids to stay in touch with their friends once the school day ends.
But parents worry social media is making their children anxious.
They worry about bullying, peer pressure and negative body image.
Parents are right to be concerned. We know social media is doing social harm.
That’s why my government is going to create a new minimum age for access to social media.
We will bring this legislation into parliament before the end of the year.
We are doing this because we want children to have a childhood.
We also want Australian parents to know the government is in their corner when they try and limit social media use.
This is landmark reform. We will listen to experts. We will work across the parliament, and with the premiers, to get this right.
We know it will be challenging. People will try and find workarounds.
But we have a responsibility to do everything we can to help young Australians navigate the complex world they live in.
We want our kids to thrive. Saying reform is all too hard isn’t really an option.
As well as giving parents this practical tool to help keep kids off devices and out enjoying their lives, we also want to curb the harmful misinformation and disinformation that is shared on digital platforms.
Any reform of this nature has to be a balance, because free speech and freedom of expression is fundamentally important in any democracy.
But a right to free speech isn’t a right to spread deliberate lies and falsehoods.
To trap or trick people. Freedom always comes with responsibility.
The proliferation of misinformation and disinformation is posing a serious threat to the safety and wellbeing of Australians, as well as to our democracy, society and economy.
Democracies are battling this problem all around the world. Australia is no different.
That’s why we will give the Australian Communications and Media Authority new powers to hold the digital platforms to account.
We have a clear strategic objective.
Our political opponents need to back this important reform rather than finding excuses not to.
I gather these measures have troubled Elon Musk.
I have a message for Mr Musk. I work for the Australian people. I don’t work for him.
Australians are not going to be bullied by a tech mogul who wants to have everything his own way.
Social media needs to exercise social responsibility.
Platforms are not mightier than citizens. Platforms can’t make their own rules and their own laws.
They need to take some responsibility for the content they put in front of users.
News organisations do this. If the platforms don’t exercise social responsibility, they will undermine the social licence they need in order to operate in any decent society.
If Mr Musk doesn’t understand this, that says more about him than it does about my government.
This opinion piece was first published in The Courier Mail on Monday, 16 September 2024.
