The federal legislation, which would enforce a minimum age for social media use, is expected to be introduced at the end of this year

The Australian federal government on Tuesday said that it will introduce a legislation that bans children from accessing social media at the end this year. The government has however, not specified details, such as the minimum age for using social media platforms, yet. 

The Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a post on X.com announced the plan to enforce a minimum age to use social media platforms, saying that it was "about supporting parents and keeping kids safe."  

“Parents tell me they’re worried about what age their kids should be on social media. We’ll introduce legislation in this term of Parliament to enforce a minimum age for social media and other digital platforms,” he said in the post. 

In another video shared on X.com, the PM called the impact of social media on young people a “scourge.” 

“I want kids to have childhood,” he said. “I want them off their devices and onto the footy fields and onto the netball courts... I want them to have real experiences with real people... Together we can get this done,” he added.  

Earlier Albanese said legislation to impose a minimum age for teenagers accessing social media and gaming platforms will be introduced in parliament before the next election.

 “No government is going to be able to protect every child from every threat-but we have to do all we can. Parents are worried sick about this. We know they’re working without a map – no generation has faced this challenge before,” he added.

This move by Albanese comes after similar announcements from states like Victoria and South Australia. The country’s eSafety Commissioner said that South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas announced a proposed bill that would limit access to social media for children under the age of 14, and between the ages of 14 and 15 years without parental consent.

Yesterday South Australian Premier @PMalinauskasMP announced a proposed bill that would limit access to social media for children under the age of 14, and between the ages of 14 and 15 years without parental consent. Read our full statement: https://t.co/GFMjgp2qUM pic.twitter.com/qMG81lpzaJ

— eSafety Commissioner (@eSafetyOffice) September 9, 2024

The federal government is expected to use a report by former High Court Chief Justice Robert French, commissioned by South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, to determine the minimum age for social media use. 

The proposed bill in South Australia is part of this report, and the eSafety Commissioner said it comes in the midst of a national debate about children’s use of social media. The eSafety said it welcomes the debate and was in support of an evidence-based, nationally cohesive approach.

However, it said, if states such as South Australia undertake reform separately, eSafety believes that those legislative measures should support rather than conflict with the national regulatory framework already established under the Online Safety Act 2021 (‘OSA’).   “eSafety continues to deliver strong outcomes under the OSA, including preventive and educational programs, systemic and harms-related interventions, and much greater levels of tech transparency,” the statement added.

Last week, eSafety took steps to use new powers under the updated Basic Online Safety Expectations Determination to request information from of the world’s most popular social media and messaging services to find out just how many Australian children are on their platforms and what age assurance measures they have in place to enforce their own age limits. 

“Understanding the age of Australian users is essential for good policymaking. We know that many teens – even younger teens – enjoy a wide array of benefits from social media. Conversely, our research also shows almost two-thirds of 14-17 year-olds have viewed potentially harmful content in the past year.”

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