Anthony Albanese asks premiers to consider whether teens with social media accounts should get to keep them

Children who already have social media accounts may get to keep them while State governments will be encouraged to offer other ways for young people to socialise when the proposed age ban comes into force.

The Prime Minister has written to premiers and chief ministers asking for their views on a range of matters associated with his proposal to ban children from using social media.

This includes what each State thinks the minimum age should be, what role parental consent should play and whether any exemptions should be allowed.

Anthony Albanese has also sought their views on grandfathering arrangements for existing account holders, meaning young people could potentially keep social media accounts if they already have them.

He asked them to assess the impact of what would happen if teens who have social media accounts now have them taken away, and what support they might need.

“Legislating a minimum age for social media access is about protecting young people, not punishing or isolating them,” Mr Albanese said.

“We want to see kids off their devices and onto footy fields and netball courts. Kids should be having real experiences with real people.”

He has also asked for States to provide information on the effect of banning phones in schools.

WA banned mobile phones and smart watches in schools at the start of 2020. Primary age students cannot have them at all, and high school students who have phones must keep them turned off and in their bag.

Mr Albanese announced last month he would lead a national push to set a minimum age for the use of social media. He is yet to settle on what that age will be, but said his view was it should be about 16 years old.

His move followed South Australia announcing it would ban children under the age of 14 from using social media, and those aged between 14 and 16 would need permission from their parents.

WA Premier Roger Cook said he would wait for advice on the appropriate age limit but that he would be part of a nationally consistent approach to the issue.

The Prime Minister has also asked the leaders to outline what “wrap-around measures” their States would bring in along with a social media ban, such as alternate sources of social connection and activity for young people and support for vulnerable groups.

A parliamentary committee examining the impact of social media heard this week from parent groups who wanted everyone aged under 18 banned from the platforms.

But health organisations including ReachOut, Headspace and Beyond Blue told the committee a ban wouldn’t remove the risk to children’s mental health and in fact could exclude them from important social and emotional lifelines.

Online safety expert Tim Levy told The West that age verification technology wouldn’t solve the problem and the Government was better off making big tech companies give parents more control over security settings on their children’s devices.