The Queensland, Victorian and New South Wales’ premiers have joined forces to lift the minimum age on social media up to 16 years of age, AAP reports.
The news comes after the NSW government announced it will be hosting a social media summit in October this year in a bid to reduce children’s exposure to harmful online content.
Reports from AAP indicate the three state governments have united together for a stronger push to change the age minimums on social media, which on most platforms is at least 13 years old.
Speaking to 2GB radio earlier today, Premier Chris Minns said he will be driving for the minimum to be at least 16 years old.
“The truth is everybody’s had enough and we’re seeing the long-term effects of at best just wasting hours and hours on devices and at worst doing serious psychological damage,” he told the radio station.
Steven Miles, the Premier of Queensland, has suggested 14 years old should be the minimum, and there should be stronger restrictions in place for users aged between 14-16.
“We are fostering a generation of young people who have grown up on social media – it’s all they can remember,” Miles said in a statement to the media.
“That brings opportunities for connectivity, but also unprecedented access to the worst parts of humanity which can then have a detrimental impact on mental health.”
While the Victorian Premier has not yet specified a minimum age, Jacinta Allan said governments must “hold these global social media giants to a better standard”.
“Like all kids these days, our two have grown up in a world that surrounds them with technology. And like many parents these days, that both inspires me and keeps me up at night,” the Victorian Premier said in a statement to the media today.
“Our kids didn’t create this culture. But they’re certainly the ones most vulnerable to it. It means we have a responsibility to take stock of the impact of social media on our kids. To take responsibility for the world we’ve created for them – and help them navigate through it.”
Speaking on his government’s recently announced social media summit, due to take place later this year, NSW Premier Chris Minns said the biggest issues that parents are facing is “kids’ access and exposure to devices and social media”.
“It’s certainly a conversation happening in my own household,” he said.
The Premier said he hears from parents “all the time” about the negative impacts of social media on children.
“They are worried about their kids seeing something they can’t unsee, online bullying, online predators, and the general increase in anxiety about what other friends say, do and show on their on social media,” Minns said.
According to research, teenagers who spend more than three hours on social media every day are twice as likely to experience poor mental health outcomes, including symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Albanese ‘applauds’ South Australian government
Last month, the Premier of South Australia Peter Malinauskas launched an examination into how his state could raise the age minimum on social media to 14 years old. The investigation will be led by former High Court chief justice Robert French.
If found to be an appropriate measure to put in place, the government would ban social media for children under the age of 14. Meanwhile, children aged 14 and 15 would have to acquire consent from their parent or guardian to access social media.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese applauded the move from Premier Malinauskas.
“Parents are worried sick about what their kids have access to online, it is a major social issue in this country,” Albanese said.
“Premier Malinauskas — I applaud his leadership on this issue… It’s time that we take strong action, but we want to make sure that strong action is effective.”
In the 2024-25 federal budget announced last week, the Albanese government committed $6.5 million to pilot “age assurance technologies” that will test the effectiveness of stricter age limits on social media. The investment into the trial came out of a recommendation from the eSafety Commissioner’s Age Verification Roadmap in March 2023.