The government is hailing the start of its world-first social media ban for under 16s with the move in the headlines around the globe. Ten platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are on the list with that number expected to rise as teens migrate to alternative platforms. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke this morning at Kirribilli house in Sydney to mark day one of the ban coming into effect.
00:00Well, today is a massive day for the Albanese government.
00:06Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appeared triumphant during a press conference at Kirribilli House
00:11in Sydney today, saying that Australia is leading the way with its social media ban
00:16and that this reform will change lives.
00:19So under the new laws starting today, a list of popular social media apps must take reasonable
00:25steps to prevent children and teenagers under the age of 16 having a social media account
00:31with their platforms.
00:32That list, as we know, includes Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, but that is set to grow
00:37in coming weeks.
00:39Now, the government has long voiced concerns over social media's addictive algorithms and
00:45endless scrolling and the impact that that's having on young people's brain development,
00:50their attention spans and their self-esteem.
00:52Mr Albanese framed this ban as taking back control from the big tech companies, describing
00:58it as one of the biggest social and cultural changes that our nation has faced.
01:04He spoke to the ABC earlier.
01:06We expect some of the platforms have been very good at programs being removed, but it will
01:18take a little bit of time.
01:20And this is world leading, so the fact that parents can today have that conversation with
01:28their children is so important.
01:31At the G20 meeting in Johannesburg just a couple of weeks ago, there was a great deal of interest
01:37and whether it is the Americas, Asia, Europe, they are all watching at what is going on here.
01:45The fact that today we have here media from Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Europe
01:53says a lot about the global interest that is here in this.
01:58And Australians should be proud that yes, we are leading the world, it will be difficult, there will be challenges, there will be bumps, but
02:06we are getting it done. And I'm so confident that already it's making a difference.
02:11And Sam, what's the opposition's take on this?
02:16Well, the opposition is broadly supportive of the concept of having a social media ban for under-16s,
02:22particularly given that Peter Dutton was really pushing this when he was opposition leader.
02:26But they have raised concerns around the ban's implementation under Labor.
02:32For example, they say it's been rushed and poorly managed, and they've previously taken aim at the dynamic list of age-restricted social media apps,
02:40saying it's unclear which apps are in and which apps are out.
02:43The shadow communications minister, Melissa McIntosh, has also raised some concerns around kids' mental health
02:49as they adjust to life without social media,
02:52saying that the government should really supplement its social media ban with extra funding for mental health organisations to help out those kids.
03:00Having those conversations, I want the government to make more investment into the mental health support for young people,
03:07particularly during this time.
03:10It is a time that kids will be struggling,
03:12so hopefully the Prime Minister might make an announcement that there's some funding going to these very important organisations.
03:18Now, it's worth noting that the Albanese government has said the ban's rollout will be clunky.
03:25It's not as if everybody under the age of 16 had their social media account magically wiped overnight,
03:32and already some young people who have evaded the ban have been commenting on the Prime Minister's official TikTok account,
03:38saying things like,
03:39I'm still here and your ban didn't work.
03:41But those kids might not be laughing for too much longer as tech companies slowly work their way through
03:47and identify more and more young people who shouldn't be having their social media accounts on their platforms anymore.
03:53So today is day one, and the world is watching closely to see how it all unfolds.
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