Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Communications. How is the Albanese Labor government's world-leading social media laws helping to support parents keep kids safe online?

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

I thank the member for Bendigo for her question and for her genuine commitment to delivering future-facing policy for all of the young people that she represents in her beautiful part of the woods. Protecting children in a digital age is a challenge that is confronting the world. Predatory algorithms, harmful content and toxic popularity meters are targeting children at a critical stage of their development. The Albanese government understands the need to be on the front foot on this rising threat with decisive and comprehensive action. We are implementing world-leading reforms to reduce online harms experienced by young Australians, including delivering historic legislation to delay access to social media until the age of 16.

Today, alongside the eSafety Commissioner, I confirmed for parents the nine platforms that must take action to remove underage accounts from 10 December—YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Reddit, Kick, X and Threads. We know social media is doing social harm, and we are calling time on it for kids. We want kids to have three more years to build resilience in the real world. We are not chasing perfection; we are chasing a meaningful difference. This law is world-leading, and now countries across the world are following our lead. Denmark, Greece, Romania, France and our friends across the pond in New Zealand are all introducing a minimum age for social media.

At Australia's United Nations event, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said she was inspired by Australia's bold move to introduce the ban and has created a taskforce to see how that same law could apply to the EU. As the president said, parents, not algorithms, should be raising our children. The Republican Governor of Utah, who I met a few weeks ago, said he is cheering on Australia. Even Piers Morgan has backed our laws, saying, 'The Aussies have it right.'

Online platforms can target children with chilling control, and now we are mandating that they use that same technology to give children three more years to build resilience. The Albanese government will never back down from this fight. We are on the side of parents, not platforms. There is a place for social media, but there is not a place for predatory algorithms, harmful content and toxic popularity meters to continue to cause our children harm.