Government moves to set minimum age to access social media

Government set to introduce legislation by the end of the year which prohibits young people from using social media

Transcript

00:00Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said this morning that he wants the government to introduce

00:07legislation before the end of the year that would seek to have an age limit on social

00:12media use.

00:13Exactly what that age limit will be isn't known.

00:16He says the government is looking at between the ages of 14 and 16, but he personally prefers

00:21the upper end of that limit, so towards the age of 16.

00:26But the government at the moment is trialling age verification technology and so he says

00:32that the age limit will be dependent on how this technology trial goes.

00:38This is him speaking this morning.

00:41We're looking at the range between 14 and 16.

00:44That's one of the reasons why we're having a trial.

00:47And what we're looking at is how you deliver it.

00:49This is a global issue that governments around the globe are trying to deal with and so we

00:55can look at the experience, look at the response as well of social media companies.

01:01Social media has a social responsibility in order to have that social licence that they

01:07require to operate in a decent society.

01:12They're not above everyone else.

01:15Now the government does want to see these reforms passed before the next election.

01:21Now the reason behind all of this is because the Prime Minister says social media can cause

01:26social harm and that parents have been raising concerns with him and the government about

01:31the experiences that their kids are having online.

01:35Now the Coalition for its part, it has previously announced that it does want to see a ban on

01:41social media for kids under the age of 16.

01:44So we've heard from the Coalition this morning accusing the government of being slow to act.

01:51Our position is clear.

01:52We announced that position months ago.

01:55We believe the age limit should be 16 and that's why Peter Dutton announced that back in June.

02:02Now this does follow some proposed law reforms in South Australia as well.

02:06They would like to see social media giants impose a ban on children under the age of

02:1214 and then require parental consent for the ages of 14 and 15.

02:17Jo, before I go, the Greens position on this is they would prefer to see better education

02:22on the harm that social media can cause rather than a blanket ban.