Children and teenagers under the age of 16 could soon be banned from using social media, after Labor announced it would back the higher cut-off limit.
The government had previously committed to introducing the legislation that would get kids off social media by the end of the year, but had earlier said they would not commit to a specific cut-off age until a trial of verification technology was complete.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday also announced that the proposed legislation would not including grandfathering arrangements — meaning young people already with a social media account would not be exempt — nor would it allow for exemptions due to parental consent.
A special national cabinet meeting will be on Friday where the states and territories will be asked to support the policy.
Both major parties back an increased social media age limit, with the Coalition also supporting a cut-off at 16.
Mr Albanese on Thursday said the legislation would come into force a year after it is passed by parliament and there will be a review of the rules after it commences.
Some social media platforms already have policies barring anyone under the age of 14 from joining, but the policy is difficult to enforce.
“Social media is causing harm to our kids and I’m calling time on it,” Mr Albanese said on Thursday.
“I want parents to be able to say, ‘Sorry mate, it’s against the law for me to let you do this.'”
Onus will be on social media giants
Under the proposed changes, social media companies will bear the onus of enforcing the age limit rather than parents and there would be no penalties for users.
The legislation will be developed in conjunction with states and territories and be informed by a review undertaken by the South Australian government as part of its draft laws.
Under South Australia’s proposed laws, social media companies would be forced to ban children under the age of 14 from their platforms or face hefty fines.
“We don’t argue that the changes that we will be legislating will fix everything immediately,” Mr Albanese said.
“We have laws, such as people can’t buy alcohol if they’re under 18, and from time to time that can be broken — but those laws set the parameters of our society.”
