Exploration of Social Media Restrictions and Age Limits at Joint Summit
A joint summit between the Premiers of New South Wales (NSW) and South Australia (SA) will convene to discuss the implementation of age restrictions on social media platforms in Australia.
The summit, taking place in Sydney over two days, is led by Premier Chris Minns from NSW and Premier Peter Malinauskas from SA. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is also participating in the event.
There is bipartisan support from major political parties in Australia for legislation to prohibit children from using social media. However, there is still debate on the appropriate age for this ban, with suggestions ranging from ages 14 to 16.
Albanese is seeking input from state and territory leaders on their preferred age limits for the proposed ban.
Minns expressed hopes that the summit will generate momentum for change, pointing to the rising instances of mental health issues, self-harm, and youth suicide linked to increased social media usage among children.
Currently, approximately 84% of children between eight and twelve years old have access to social media platforms.
Malinauskas emphasized the necessity of implementing these bans, acknowledging that while some children may find ways to circumvent them, they are crucial to setting a standard. He likened the responsibility to enforce these restrictions to that of pubs not selling alcohol to minors.
Both Minns and Malinauskas supported the general direction of changes proposed by Meta’s Instagram platform but called for stricter enforcement measures.
The Wait Mate campaign leaders, advocating for delaying smartphone use until high school age, endorsed government efforts to impose stricter restrictions on children’s social media usage. The campaign co-founder suggested that experts recommend 16 as the minimum age for children to access social media platforms.
However, opposition to the proposed social media bans for children came from the Greens and certain youth organizations. ReachOut, a youth mental health organization, cautioned against blocking social media access for young people, citing its importance as a support system. The Greens’ spokesperson for Communications and Deputy Chair of the Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, criticized the plan to ban children from social media as a knee-jerk policy, advocating for education on safe social media usage rather than outright bans.
