Liberal MP Bridget Archer crosses floor, joins Greens and Independents as social media ban passes first hurdle

Moderate Liberal MP Bridget Archer has crossed the floor to vote against banning children under 16 from social media, joining with the Greens and independents to air concerns about a rushed process.

Ms Archer, who has crossed the floor on multiple issues, flagged the move late on Tuesday night before the vote on the legislation was held on Wednesday morning.

But she said it was out of concerns about the rushed process to legislate the ban inside of a week.

“My very strong preference would be for this bill to be deferred for proper scrutiny and consultation, as we’ve heard from other members here today, that would give an opportunity for that process to be corrected and to take more of our community along with us, but disappointingly, it is clear that there is no appetite for that,” she told Parliament.

“Because of that, I won’t be supporting … this Bill under these circumstances, but I reiterate that this is an important space and it is something that we need to do something about.”

Ms Archer pledged to engage constructively on the issue of helping protect children from the harms of social media.

The legislation would force social media companies including TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Reddit, Facebook and X to bar children under 16 years from their platforms.

It will take effect a year after passing Parliament.

The tech companies have raised concerns about whether the ban can practically be implemented while youth mental health experts and advocates have aired fears it will further isolate vulnerable children.

Others are concerned about the privacy implications and an email campaign inundating MPs over the past week has conflated the social media ban with the Government’s Digital ID program.

Conservative Coalition Senators Alex Antic and Matt Canavan are expected to also cross the floor when the legislation comes to a vote in the Upper House.

Nationals MP Keith Pitt told colleagues on Wednesday he was reserving his position.

Ultimately, he abstained from votes on the legislation, having said he found himself torn on taking a position.

“For those who know me, that is pretty unusual! I can usually form a view pretty quickly and make a decision,” he told Parliament, before reading out some of the emails he had received airing a wide range of concerns about the bill.

Independents also voted against the legislation, which passed the lower house with the support of most Labor and Coalition MPs.