Anika Wells (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sport) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bean for his question and for his help in introducing me to the tremendous students of St Mary MacKillop College here in Canberra. Today marks two weeks until the minimum age to have a social media account in Australia rises to 16. Australian parents are ready. Australian parents are ready for a break from the predatory algorithms and the toxic popularity meters that keep their kids doomscrolling for hours on end. They are ready for kids to have the opportunity to switch off and to build their identity offline. Parents are ready not to be the bad guys when they tell their children that they can't have social media because it is the law.

We have always said that there will be challenges on 10 December, which is why the Albanese government has been on a mission to build awareness and trust in this law. We have invested more than $10 million in a national advertising campaign. In the five weeks since that campaign started we have seen a 1,441 per cent increase in online traffic, with almost 600,000 Australians accessing the helpful resources on eSafety's website.

I have spoken to young people from the member for Clark's electorate in Tasmania, from the member for Maribyrnong's electorate in Victoria, from the member for Bean's electorate and all the way across to the member for Forrest's electorate in Western Australia, and we have answered their genuine questions about the law. After we sat down and spoke, here is what some of them said. Fifteen-year-old Peyton said: 'I actually think it's a good thing, and you'd be surprised by how many teenagers my age and younger think that too, because it will help reduce cyberbullying and it will protect our mental health. It will be hard at first, but, in the long run, it will be good for us.' Seventeen-year-old Hayden said: 'This law is a brilliant step forward to reclaim the wellbeing of young Australians in their developmental years. Australia continues to be a trailblazer here.' Hayden and Peyton, I couldn't agree more.

Despite the fact that we are receiving threats and legal challenges from people with ulterior motives, the Albanese government remains steadfastly on the side of parents and not of platforms. We will not be intimidated by threats. We will not be intimidated by legal challenges. We will not be intimidated by big tech. On behalf of Australian parents, we stand firm.

See this speech in context