Anthony Albanese wants social media ban for kids to stop ‘devastating impacts’ and ‘social harm’

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says social media is having a “devastating impact” on young people and that his government is prepared to act now.

On Monday, Mr Albanese announced children across Australia will be banned from social media if the Federal Government plans to legislate a minimum age pass Parliament.

The move follows South Australia’s draft legislation based on a report from former High Court chief justice Robert French which proposed forcing social media providers to bar access by children under 14.

Children aged between 14 and 16 would need parental consent to have a social media account and the tech companies would face hefty fines for failing to comply.

Mr Albanese has not yet nominated a minimum age requirement for Federal Government plans but intends to introduce the legislation before the end of the year.

“What we want to do is get our kids off their devices and on to the footy fields or the netball courts. To get them interacting with real people having real experiences,” Mr Albanese told Sunrise on Tuesday.

“We know that social media is doing social harm.

“That is why we have put funding in the budget to have this age verification trial.

“We want to make sure we get it right, but we want to make sure as well that we act which is why we have said we will introduce legislation before the end of this year.”

Sunrise host Nat Barr asked Mr Albanese how he planned to deliver a working ban, citing experts’ claims that facial recognition technology may be the only viable option.

“That is one of the things we will be trialling, but there is a range of technologies that we can use,” Mr Albanese said.

“We also want to put some responsibility back on to these social media companies.

“Social media companies have a social responsibility and we are seeing the mental health issues rising from young people.

“We know that this is having a devastating impact.

“I pay tribute to those parents, courageous brave people, who have spoken about their own experiences with their children about the harm that has been caused.

“We need to act as a society.

“When my son was young this was an issue more than a decade ago.

“That has grown year after year, and we know that we need to act and my government is determined to do so.”

Mr Albanese praised South Australia Premier Malinauskas who initiated work from Mr French.

“What we need to do, do this age verification trial which is underway, is funded, and we want to make sure that we get this right. But we know that parents want us to act,” Albanese said.