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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has officially marked the start of Australia’s new under-16 social media ban during a meeting with families, experts, and child-safety advocates at Kirribilli House in Sydney.
The landmark policy positions Australia among the global leaders in online safety reforms as tech platforms prepare for stricter age-based restrictions.
#Australia #AnthonyAlbanese #SocialMediaBan #Under16Ban #OnlineSafety #ChildSafety #DigitalSafety
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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpLEtz3H0jSfEneSdf1YKnw/join
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has officially marked the start of Australia’s new under-16 social media ban during a meeting with families, experts, and child-safety advocates at Kirribilli House in Sydney.
The landmark policy positions Australia among the global leaders in online safety reforms as tech platforms prepare for stricter age-based restrictions.
#Australia #AnthonyAlbanese #SocialMediaBan #Under16Ban #OnlineSafety #ChildSafety #DigitalSafety
Anthony Albanese social media ban, Australia under 16 social media, Australia online safety law, Kirribilli House event, child internet safety Australia, youth online safety, social media age limit Australia, tech policy crackdown, Australia bans social media for minors, global tech regulation Australia, Meta TikTok YouTube restrictions, Australian government tech reform, online child protection policy, digital safety children, Australia news today, Albanese child safety reform, social media age verification Australia, Australian tech crackdown, safety reforms for minors, youth protection online, government digital policy, breaking news Australia, Sydney Kirribilli House meeting, global attention Australia tech law, families meet Albanese online safety, Australian PM youth protection, underage social media ban, world news tech regulation, online platforms restrictions Australia, Albanese policy announcement
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NewsTranscript
00:00Are we ready to start proceedings?
00:10Okay, on behalf of the Prime Minister Albanese, Anthony Albanese, who is standing right behind me,
00:18it's an honour to welcome you to Kirribilli House on this significant day, a truly important moment in time.
00:25Welcome to the Communications Minister, the Honourable Annika Wells.
00:30Welcome also to the E-Safety Commissioner, Julie Inman-Grant,
00:33and also welcome to the South Australian Premier, Peter Malinowskis, who we'll hear from in a moment's time.
00:39My name is Michael Whipfley, or Whipper, from Nova, and today, December 10, 2025,
00:46is now marked in history as the day the law changed,
00:49after the Australian Government chose to put the well-being of teenagers first.
00:55Thank you. It's an important day.
00:58They choose to put the well-being of Australian families first,
01:02and the Australian Government chose to show the world that it's okay to say to big tech,
01:06stop, this isn't working, and we can do better for our kids.
01:11As the co-founder of 36 Months with Rob Galuzzo from Finch,
01:14we led a campaign with one simple aim,
01:17to delay the age kids could become a citizen of a social media platform from 13 to 16,
01:25just 36 months.
01:26That's all we wanted, a chance for kids to get to know themselves before the world does.
01:31We launched with advice from developmental paediatricians,
01:34we spoke with many parenting educators,
01:37we spoke with many brave parents who are here today,
01:40who have shared their stories in the hope of change.
01:44We met with like-minded groups working in this space,
01:47and convinced others to help make some noise.
01:52We never pretended to be experts on the topic,
01:54but what we did represent was what we believed was common sense.
01:58And very quickly, a line of nearly 150,000 Australian parents
02:03signed the petition, desperate for change.
02:06A desperate bid to be heard.
02:09They formed an unignorable chorus of voices.
02:12That chorus was heard by the Prime Minister,
02:15who with a deep level of research and advice from his experts and his party,
02:19made the decision that enough was enough.
02:22He joins us now.
02:23Please welcome the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr Anthony Albanese.
02:28Well, thanks so much, Whippa, and good morning to everyone,
02:34and thank you all for being here.
02:36I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners,
02:39the land on which we're meeting,
02:40and pay my respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
02:45Well, this is a day in which my pride to be Prime Minister of Australia
02:52has never been greater.
02:54This is world-leading.
02:56This is Australia showing enough is enough.
03:02And the world, including through, I note,
03:06some leading media global organisations who are here,
03:11just to confirm, is watching, is watching and is following.
03:17But Australia is leading.
03:18And it's leading not because of actions of my government.
03:23It is leading because of some of the heroes who are behind me
03:29and who are joining us here today.
03:32Australians who've lost a son or a daughter.
03:35Australians who have seen the direct impact of social media causing social harm
03:43for their families, for their families, for their communities.
03:47People who have had the courage to take what is a personal tragedy
03:51and turn that into a commitment and determination
03:57that others who will follow will not go through the traumatic experience that they have.
04:06This is indeed a proud day to be Australian.
04:11Because make no mistake, this reform will change lives.
04:17For Australian kids and allowing them to just have their childhood.
04:22For Australian parents, enabling them to have greater peace of mind.
04:29But also for the global community who are looking at Australia and saying,
04:35well, if Australia can do it, why can't we?
04:39This will make an enormous difference.
04:42It is one of the biggest social and cultural changes that our nation has faced.
04:48It's a profound reform which will continue to reverberate around the world
04:54in coming months to assist not just this generation but generations to come.
05:00It is about our families taking back control.
05:06Technology can have an amazing impact on making our life easier.
05:12But it is important as technology develops that humans keep control.
05:19That we assert our authority as a society and to back families
05:27and to say that enough is enough.
05:30We will take back control.
05:32We will control the impact that this is having.
05:38So to those parents, to those people who have campaigned,
05:44people like Whipper and Mel, who you'll hear from as well,
05:49but the parents directly affected, I just say you have my admiration.
05:54I just bow down to you because this change has come from you
06:01and it's a government that has then responded.
06:06I do want to acknowledge as well Peter Dutton on a day like today.
06:11This legislation passed the Parliament last year with bipartisan support.
06:16Peter Dutton is someone who has always cared about the impact of harm on young Australians
06:23with a range of the measures that he established as well to protect young people
06:30from perpetrators of violence and grooming and other activities as well.
06:36So this is a day that I think will be marked down.
06:45This is a journey that Australia has gone on.
06:49It won't be perfect.
06:51It won't be perfect.
06:53Because this is a big change.
06:55But I've been asked this morning in media interviews,
06:58what will success look like?
07:01Success is the fact that it's happening.
07:03Success is the fact that we're having this discussion.
07:06Parents are talking to their children around the breakfast table.
07:10Teachers, as we are speaking, will be speaking to their students.
07:15And we as a society, I must say, not just young people as well,
07:19but non-young people are also thinking about the impact that scrolling is having on their sleep,
07:27that engaging with each other, nothing beats interpersonal communication one-on-one.
07:37So it is about, as well, importantly, pushing back against big tech,
07:43saying that social media companies have a social responsibility.
07:48So we do acknowledge it won't be perfect, and we'll work through it.
07:52But I do want to work through and acknowledge the work that Minister Wells has done
08:00in bringing this to fruition,
08:02Minister Rowland in her advocacy previously in the lead-up to the legislation being carried,
08:09and Julian McGrath, who you'll hear from,
08:12and her team in the eSafety Commission for the work that they've done.
08:16For the media, who've backed this in as well,
08:21I've got to say that the tabloids on Sunday,
08:24that wraparound was the most powerful use of print media I have seen
08:32for a very long period of time.
08:35the fact that a great deal of effort had been got into it.
08:42But all those in TV, radio, the people who've engaged with this,
08:48it is important to have these discussions.
08:50So, be proud today and remember this day, December 10.
08:58I think it will go with the other great reforms that Australia has led the world on.
09:03There are many of them in our great democracy that we can be proud of.
09:08Things that we call the Australian ballot, for example, is just one of them.
09:12Before we go, though, I do want to just say that, yes, this is about parents,
09:24and largely I spoke with Charlotte's mum, gave a phone call after that tragedy,
09:34and the one-on-one discussions I've had with parents really convinced me
09:38that this was the right thing to do.
09:41But as well as that, we've had young people advocating themselves.
09:45And I do want to introduce to you a remarkable young Tasmanian,
09:50Flossie,
09:52a 12-year-old,
09:53who I've had the pleasure of welcoming into my office in Parliament House.
09:58Now, straight after this event, I'm told that she'll be racing back to Hobart
10:02for her last day of primary school.
10:06And the end-of-year dance,
10:08which is one of the things that people can do,
10:12you can't dance if you're online.
10:14And it's much more fun to do it than to watch it.
10:18And you know what?
10:19There's something else, Flossie.
10:20The people that you're dancing with at your year six school,
10:25you'll know are real.
10:26Unlike the people online who you don't know.
10:31Whether they're real, whether they exist,
10:35whether it's AI,
10:37what really is going on there.
10:40So to Flossie,
10:41a powerful advocate,
10:43just one of the young people who I've met,
10:46thank you for your advocacy
10:48and for squeezing us into your very tight social calendar.
10:54Flossie, I'd last you to welcome.
10:56Thank you, Prime Minister.
11:02Hi, my name's Flossie, and I'm 12 years old.
11:05I've been learning about how social media affects the developing brain,
11:09and I want to explain why I support Australia's world-leading decision
11:13to ban social media for under-16s.
11:15My project began as a school inquiry,
11:17looking into what happens to adolescent brains when using social media
11:21and understanding the impact it can have on young people.
11:25I spoke with neuroscientist Dr. Leila Landofsky and psychologist Cassie Zantabalonis,
11:31and the science they shared with me was clear.
11:35During adolescence, our brains are going through one of the biggest rewiring periods of our lives.
11:41It's a time when we're more likely to take risks,
11:44act on impulse,
11:45and be shaped by the world around us.
11:49Social media is designed to take advantage of that.
11:51Every like, every notification, every short video releases dopamine.
11:57It keeps our brains hooked, even when it doesn't make us happier or healthier.
12:02For developing brains, that constant dopamine drip can actually change the pathways we rely on
12:07for focus, self-control, and emotional resilience.
12:10Young people deserve better than that.
12:14We deserve the chance to figure out who we are without algorithms telling us what to like,
12:18what to think, and how to feel.
12:20We deserve time with real people to learn body language, tone, empathy,
12:25and all the social cues you can't get from a screen.
12:29We also deserve boredom, too,
12:31because boredom is what makes our brains spark creativity and think of big ideas.
12:37I also want to say this with respect and care.
12:39I know that for some families here today,
12:41the harms of social media aren't just research findings.
12:44They're deeply personal.
12:46I honour the courage of every parent, every sibling,
12:50and every young person who has been hurt or lost because of the online world.
12:56Your experiences matter, and that's part of the reason I stand here today.
13:00My mum always says, when we know better, we do better.
13:04The Australian government knows that social media is harming young people,
13:07and they're doing something about it.
13:09This band is bold and brave,
13:11and I believe it will help kids like me to grow up healthier, safer, kinder,
13:16and more connected to the real world.
13:19I absolutely support this world-leading decision
13:21and hope that other countries look to Australia to follow our lead.
13:25Thank you for listening, and thank you for protecting kids like me.
13:28Oh, my gosh, Flossie.
13:33Another round of applause, and I hope my kids are watching.
13:36By the age of 15, I need you like Flossie.
13:39You are for 12, should I say, Flossie.
13:41My gosh, that's extraordinary.
13:43Well done.
13:43Thank you so much.
13:44Okay, joining us now is somebody who has been a force of nature at the coalface.
13:49She's a mother of three, and she's also the Minister for Sport,
13:51Minister of Communications,
13:52and I know, along with our eSafety Commissioner,
13:55has had to navigate at times uncharted waters
13:58and the willingness to push forward against heavy tides.
14:01I don't know how you do it.
14:02Minister Wells, Minister Annika Wells, please welcome.
14:05APPLAUSE
14:06Good morning, everyone.
14:10Today we change a generation.
14:15Today we change a culture.
14:18Today we change lives for the better.
14:22For many years, the world has allowed the idea
14:25that the internet can have different rules from real life,
14:28that somehow it can be a free space unregulated
14:31by any of the values by which we govern ourselves.
14:36The people the Prime Minister has gathered here today
14:39are the people who refuse to leave this dilemma
14:42in the hands of someone else.
14:46You are the people that took this on
14:48and demanded children come before trillion-dollar companies.
14:54So this is about the parents who have kids
14:57who could not be here today.
14:59Emma Mason calls them the lost generation.
15:03This is for the future, a future Australia is leading.
15:07Australia, a continent so far away
15:11and now yet so far ahead
15:13when it comes to online safety.
15:17December 10 will be remembered
15:18as a moment that sparked a movement.
15:22Not that long ago, auto manufacturers told us
15:25that making compulsory seatbelts
15:27would break their business model.
15:29It couldn't be done.
15:31Now, families choose cars
15:34based on who offers the safest features.
15:37Big tech could compete,
15:40like airlines, like auto manufacturers,
15:42to have the best safety record to offer their users.
15:46And that future is a little bit closer today
15:49because of this world-leading law,
15:53Australia's law.
15:55Private interest is compelled to innovate
15:58because of thoughtful regulation.
15:59Moments like July 30,
16:02when these parents joined us at Parliament House
16:05to table the rules for our law.
16:08That day was my first press conference
16:09as the Minister for Communications
16:11and Mia Bannister, who joins us here today,
16:13showed incredible courage
16:14to speak to a heaving media pack
16:17in the Prime Minister's courtyard.
16:19And something Mia said then
16:20still sticks with me now.
16:22She said,
16:22This law isn't the result of one voice,
16:25but the power of many,
16:27united in purpose,
16:29driven by hope,
16:31and committed to protecting our kids.
16:33And we see the power of that many today.
16:35The power in Paralympic medalist Rowan Crothers,
16:37who lives with cerebral palsy
16:38and is a gun swimmer at 15 years old,
16:40was bullied online relentlessly
16:42just for not looking like a Paralympian.
16:44The power in parents,
16:46like Ali Halpik,
16:47whose son Alan was threatened online
16:49through social media posts
16:50before he took his own life in 2009.
16:53In 2010,
16:54Alan was formally recognised
16:56as a victim of crime.
16:59A landmark ruling,
17:00the first in Australia,
17:02and 15 years later,
17:04with Ali here,
17:05we achieve another landmark.
17:07And it will change a generation.
17:11There is one more line from Mia
17:12that I wrote down
17:13from that first day that I met you all.
17:15Mia said,
17:17Together,
17:18we made change happen,
17:19and we will keep going.
17:22That feels even more pertinent today
17:24than it did that day in winter.
17:27Together,
17:28we made change happen,
17:29and together,
17:30we will keep going.
17:36Thank you, Minister Wells.
17:39Someone else that has had to answer questions
17:41at times,
17:42I think,
17:43were absolutely challenging
17:44as we attempt to do something
17:45never seen around the world.
17:47She has been the cop on the beat.
17:49Julie Inman,
17:50grant our East Safety Commissioner
17:51for a few words, please.
17:55Thank you, WIPA,
17:56and thank you,
17:57Prime Minister and Minister,
17:58for this opportunity
17:59to take this momentous regulation forward.
18:03For all of us here
18:04who consider social media
18:06to be one of the great social experiments
18:08of our time on our young people,
18:11then perhaps a social media ban
18:13will stand as the first true antidote.
18:16It starts here,
18:17in Australia,
18:18today.
18:19The world will follow
18:21like nations once followed our lead
18:23on plain tobacco packaging,
18:25gun reform,
18:26water and sun safety.
18:28How can you not follow a country
18:31who is clearly prioritizing
18:33teen safety ahead of tech profits?
18:36The Prime Minister,
18:38our Premieres,
18:39the Parliament provided the scaffolding.
18:42The Minister tabled the rules.
18:44The Department delivered
18:45a comprehensive age assurance
18:47technical trial
18:48demonstrating that advanced technologies
18:51can and will work.
18:53Online safety has always been a team sport.
18:56And I'm profoundly proud
18:58of my small but mighty team
19:00at eSafety
19:01who have anticipated the pushback,
19:03we've looked around corners,
19:05and we've built a regulatory framework
19:07that is sensible and workable,
19:10flexible where it should be,
19:12and firm where it must be.
19:15We've been crystal clear
19:17with the social media companies
19:18about their responsibilities.
19:20And I have every confidence
19:22that the most powerful
19:23and innovative industry of all time
19:25has the technical capability
19:28to meet these obligations
19:29with precision
19:30and with continuous improvement.
19:33Tomorrow,
19:34I will issue information notices
19:36to 10 major platforms,
19:38and we will provide information
19:40to the public before Christmas
19:41on how these age restrictions
19:44are being implemented
19:45and whether preliminarily
19:47we see them working.
19:49The responses to these notices
19:50will form the baseline
19:51against which we will measure compliance.
19:54And as I've said many times,
19:57we're not expecting flawlessness.
20:00We've built in allowances for that.
20:02Enforcement will target systemic failures
20:05after rigorous investigation
20:07and under our own terms
20:09and our own time.
20:10These isolated cases
20:12of teenage creativity,
20:14circumvention, spoofing,
20:16and other ingenious ways
20:18people will inevitably push boundaries
20:20we'll continue to fill newspaper pages,
20:23but we won't be deterred.
20:25We are playing the long game.
20:28We are united in giving this
20:29our very best effort.
20:31We will be led by the data
20:33and we will evaluate the impact over time.
20:36But a few things are certain.
20:39Parents will be backed.
20:41Families can reconnect.
20:44Technology's tethers will loosen.
20:46Australia stands as a global changemaker,
20:50firmly on the right side of history.
20:53And finally,
20:54in honour of the Prime Minister,
20:56to riff off my favourite rock band,
20:58The Who,
20:59the kids will be alright.
21:05Thank you, Julie.
21:08Many of the parents
21:09who have joined us here today,
21:11who I know,
21:12many of you personally,
21:13have bravely shared their stories,
21:15some of who have been forced
21:16to live through
21:17the most unimaginable moments.
21:20Our next guest
21:20has been an avid campaigner
21:22against sexual extortion
21:23and suicide,
21:25and this year
21:25was recognised
21:26as a Victorian of the Year nominee.
21:29After losing his son, Mac,
21:30Wayne channelled
21:31his personal devastation
21:32in preventing other families
21:34from having similar experiences.
21:36Thank you for being here.
21:37Wayne Holdsworth.
21:38Thanks very much,
21:43Whippa,
21:44and to the Prime Minister,
21:45thank you very much
21:46for having us here today.
21:49We really do appreciate it.
21:51And I guess I speak
21:53on behalf of
21:54the Let Them Be Kids team
21:57that consists of experts
21:59like Simon
22:00and parents
22:02that have lost
22:04children
22:04like Emma,
22:08like Ali,
22:10like Mia,
22:12and like me.
22:16I'd like to
22:17congratulate
22:18the Prime Minister,
22:21the Federal Communications Minister,
22:23Annika Wells,
22:24and the previous
22:25Communications Minister,
22:28Michelle Rowland,
22:29Julian McGrath,
22:33and also
22:33Peter Malinowskis,
22:36because
22:37they have shown
22:39true
22:40Australian grit.
22:42They
22:43have been
22:45thrown
22:46bumpers,
22:47they have been
22:47thrown
22:48bounces,
22:50head high,
22:51balls to the head,
22:52and they've just
22:53simply
22:53knocked them
22:54for six,
22:55just like Steve Smith
22:56did on the weekend.
22:58That's what
22:58we're talking about.
22:59That's the sort
23:00of Australian
23:01courage
23:01that has been
23:02demonstrated today,
23:04and we're
23:04celebrating it.
23:06They saw the ball,
23:08they got the ball,
23:09and then they
23:10protected it.
23:11They saw the opportunity,
23:14they realised
23:15the opportunity,
23:16and now we will
23:17enhance that opportunity.
23:20I'd like to thank
23:22my team
23:23that I love,
23:26the Let Them Be Kids
23:27campaign team,
23:28right from the top,
23:30from Michael,
23:31from Campbell,
23:34GK,
23:34the experts,
23:37and the parents.
23:41We in Australia
23:42recognise
23:43Australians that have
23:45done something
23:45pretty special
23:46with Order of Australia
23:47medals,
23:49Australian of the Year
23:49with the great
23:50Neil Ganiher,
23:51for an example.
23:52But in my opinion,
23:54we have in our midst
23:56an Australian of the
23:57decade
23:57in Mel Pilling.
23:59She has driven
24:00the Let Them Be Kids
24:01campaign
24:02so hard
24:03and so diligently
24:04and so passionately
24:06that we're here today.
24:07I'd like you to put
24:08your hands together
24:09for her, please.
24:15So in finishing,
24:17our kids
24:18that we've lost
24:19haven't died
24:22in vain
24:23because today
24:25they'll be looking down
24:27very proud
24:29of the work
24:30that we've all done.
24:32And yes,
24:33it is bloody hard
24:34to repeat
24:35over and over
24:37and over again
24:38Mac's story
24:39and in Emma's case
24:41and Mia's case
24:42their story.
24:45But today
24:46is around
24:47the legislation.
24:49But today
24:50also
24:50needs to be around
24:52identifying
24:53that this is the start
24:54and education
24:56from here on
24:57from those
24:58year 10,
25:0011,
25:0012,
25:0113,
25:0114,
25:0215 year olds
25:03will be the silver bullet
25:04because when they're available
25:06to then access
25:07social media
25:07at 16
25:09they will be fully equipped.
25:10They will know
25:11about the algorithms.
25:12They will know
25:13about the sexual predators
25:14and terrorists
25:15out there.
25:16The same
25:16that terrorised
25:17my boy.
25:20So
25:20Mia and I
25:21we've gone out
25:23and tried to educate people.
25:25I've now presented
25:26to over 30,000 people
25:27in my spare time.
25:28I'm a sports administrator.
25:30I've spoken to over
25:31200
25:32presentations
25:34and
25:35importantly
25:36we have saved
25:38nine lives
25:39directly
25:39through that education.
25:41and I remember
25:45in the eastern suburbs
25:46of Melbourne
25:46presenting
25:48to about
25:49400 kids
25:50and a girl
25:52on my right hand side
25:53was there
25:55and waited
25:55and waited
25:56and she came over
25:57to me
25:58and she was teary
25:58and I asked her
26:00what was wrong
26:00and she couldn't speak
26:02but she handed me
26:03a piece of paper
26:04and I opened
26:05that piece of paper
26:06and in that piece
26:08of paper
26:08was her plan
26:10to take her life
26:11that night.
26:12We got her help
26:13that day
26:13through the school
26:14and her parents
26:15who were oblivious
26:15to what her plan was
26:17and on Father's Day
26:18this year
26:19she sent
26:20me a text message
26:22that said
26:23I'm still alive
26:25Wano
26:25and I think
26:26it makes it all worthwhile.
26:29So as I said
26:30our kids
26:30will be looking down
26:31with pride
26:33with the work
26:34that we've done
26:35we've only just started.
26:37We'll need help
26:37with that education
26:38with those programs
26:40we'll need help
26:41from federal
26:42and state government
26:42to roll those programs out
26:44for prevention
26:45and mitigating
26:47the risk
26:48that kids like
26:49Mac
26:50had to go through.
26:51I really appreciate
26:53the opportunity
26:54and I love you Mac.
27:02Wayne that was beautiful mate
27:03absolutely well done
27:04and we appreciate
27:06all the work
27:06that Mac
27:07sorry
27:07that Wayne has done
27:09and the message
27:10has been very clear
27:11and with the other parents
27:12here today
27:12as I look at
27:13Kelly and Matt
27:14I'm with you today
27:15as we all are
27:16you're doing so well
27:17and you're so brave
27:17to share the stories
27:18and be here today.
27:20As a major part
27:21of driving meaningful change
27:22in this country
27:23as Wayne highlighted today
27:24is the ability
27:25for these stories
27:26to be shared
27:27and it's the only way
27:28to help people understand
27:29the true magnitude
27:30of this issue
27:31and from very early on
27:32both through print
27:33and online
27:33and through the campaign
27:34Let Them Be Kids
27:35News Corp recognised
27:36the importance
27:37of this work
27:38and by working
27:39closely with the government
27:41they've helped amplify
27:42the key messages
27:43of this story
27:44that need to be heard.
27:45From News Corp
27:46please welcome
27:46Mel Pilling.
27:47Thank you Whippa
27:52Well today
27:53is an historic day
27:55Today is the day
27:57Australia becomes
27:58a world leader
27:59in protecting children
28:01online
28:02The social media laws
28:04that have come into effect
28:05will change lives
28:07they will save lives
28:09This world first law
28:11has been almost
28:13two years
28:14in the making
28:14for Let Them Be Kids
28:16but for others
28:17it has been so much longer
28:19On May 19
28:21News Corp Australia
28:22launched the
28:23Let Them Be Kids campaign
28:24advocating for children
28:26under 16
28:28to be restricted
28:29from social media
28:30because of the obvious
28:32physical, mental
28:33and emotional harm
28:35the tech platforms
28:37were having
28:38on Australia's children
28:39Critically
28:41the campaign
28:42had the support
28:43of parents
28:44who had tragically
28:46known better than most
28:47the devastating toll
28:49that social media
28:50can have on young children
28:51Their children
28:53had taken their own lives
28:55unable
28:56to continue to fight
28:58the predators
28:59the bullies
29:00the powerful algorithms
29:02that had caused them
29:03so much pain
29:04These laws
29:06are their legacy
29:07I am incredibly proud
29:11of the role
29:12that Let Them Be Kids
29:13played
29:14in helping make
29:16these laws
29:16a reality
29:17But mostly
29:21I am proud
29:23of the incredibly
29:25brave
29:26and determined
29:26parents
29:27that I have had
29:28the pleasure
29:29of working with
29:30giving them a voice
29:31when nobody else
29:33was listening
29:33I thank you
29:35for your courage
29:37and I thank you
29:38for allowing me
29:40and many others
29:41in my company
29:42to tell your story
29:44You trusted us
29:45with your story
29:46and I thank you
29:47for that
29:48News Corp
29:50has a proud history
29:51of advocating
29:53for its communities
29:54and as the editorial lead
29:56on this campaign
29:58and speaking as a mother
29:59of a teenage daughter
30:01grappling
30:02with the all too
30:03familiar tensions
30:04that social media
30:05is triggering
30:06in households
30:07around Australia
30:08it has been
30:09my deepest honour
30:11of my career
30:12working with
30:13these families
30:14and these parents
30:15to help galvanise
30:17support
30:17to raise the age
30:19of social media
30:19and to run
30:22an editorial campaign
30:23across all of our
30:24masteds
30:25on behalf
30:26of these families
30:27that have advocated
30:28in the strongest
30:29of terms
30:30to save our children
30:31to let them
30:33be kids
30:34and give them
30:35the freedom again
30:36to enjoy this period
30:37of their lives
30:38because nothing
30:40in the world
30:40is as precious
30:41as our children
30:43Thank you
30:44Thank you Mel
30:50It's fair to say
30:51our next guest
30:52has been a pillar
30:53of strength
30:53on this topic
30:54leading with a very
30:56clear vision
30:57and an absolute passion
30:58and believing
30:59that we must
31:00do better than this
31:01for our kids
31:02Not only
31:03has he led this
31:05but he's often
31:06been referred to
31:07as
31:07sorry
31:08by educator
31:08and also author
31:09Jonathan Haidt
31:10as the bold catalyst
31:11for these reforms
31:13Please welcome
31:14the Premier of South Australia
31:15Peter Malinowskis
31:16Thanks
31:20thanks Wipi
31:21Ripper
31:22it's great
31:23to be here
31:25I can't tell the Prime Minister
31:26how grateful I am
31:27for gathering
31:28this group of people
31:29here today
31:30and I acknowledge
31:31the traditional owners
31:32as well
31:32In April last year
31:37my wife
31:38was reading a book
31:39called
31:40The Anxious Generation
31:41by Jonathan Haidt
31:42and she was
31:43surmising the book
31:44to me
31:45as we
31:45would go to bed
31:47each night
31:47as she read it
31:48over a couple of weeks
31:49and I'll never forget
31:51one night
31:52in late April
31:53last year
31:54she finished the book
31:55she put it down
31:55in her lap
31:56and she turned to me
31:57and said
31:58you better bloody
31:59do something about this
32:00and I've been married
32:02long enough
32:03to know the instructions
32:04I've got to abide by
32:05and this was certainly
32:06one of them
32:07and we got to work
32:09thinking about
32:10how we could make
32:11a meaningful difference
32:12to protect kids
32:13from all the dangers
32:14that social media
32:15unregulated
32:16represents
32:17and I want to thank
32:19today
32:20someone who hasn't
32:21been mentioned
32:21and that's
32:22the former
32:23Chief Justice
32:24of the High Court
32:25of Australia
32:25Robert French
32:27who he asked
32:28in South Australia
32:29to go away
32:30and do a piece of work
32:31and craft a law
32:32that a state parliament
32:33could pass
32:34that would give effect
32:35to a social media
32:37age limit
32:38he completed that work
32:40a few weeks later
32:41and presented it
32:41to the South Australian
32:42government
32:42and he said
32:42look you could do this
32:43at a state level
32:44but it would be
32:45far better done
32:46nationally
32:47so we presented
32:49that report
32:49to National Cabinet
32:50and one of the most
32:52important days
32:53in the lives
32:54of every young person
32:55in this country
32:56was the moment
32:57that the Prime Minister
32:58of this nation
32:59took an opportunity
33:00to lead
33:01to dispense
33:03concerns about
33:05all of the resistance
33:06all of the political risk
33:08but instead
33:09take the opportunity
33:10for this nation
33:11to provide
33:11truly international
33:13leadership
33:14and a few months
33:17after that
33:17a law passed
33:18our federal parliament
33:19and is now
33:20a law of the land
33:21to go from
33:23a moment in May
33:25to legislation
33:27passing our federal
33:28parliament
33:28of international
33:29significance
33:30in November
33:32is warp speed
33:34on any measure
33:35and I was reflecting
33:37last night
33:37how did that happen
33:38so quickly
33:39and the truth is
33:42it's a question
33:43of power
33:44see the power
33:46for this reform
33:47doesn't
33:49rest
33:49in the power
33:50of a Prime Minister
33:51or a Premier
33:52or a politician
33:53or the media
33:54it rests in people
33:56as the Prime Minister
33:58referred to
33:59but there is one thing
34:01that is even more
34:01powerful than that
34:02nothing
34:05transcends
34:06the power
34:07of a parent's
34:08love for their child
34:09what this reform does
34:13isn't regulate
34:14the relationship
34:15between social media
34:16platforms
34:17and children
34:18the power of this reform
34:20rests
34:20in giving parents
34:23the ability
34:24to be able to show
34:25love for their children
34:26and doing what they
34:27instinctively knows best
34:29parents know
34:31that this change
34:32is overdue
34:33parents know
34:34how to ensure
34:35their own kids safety
34:37and what this law
34:38has done
34:39is put the power
34:40back in the hands
34:41of parents
34:42so they can
34:43continue to love
34:44their children
34:45with comfort
34:46and knowledge
34:47that the rest of society
34:49and every other family
34:50stands with them
34:51in making sure
34:53that the adaption
34:54the adaptation of technology
34:56amongst young people
34:56is done safely
34:57this is a really
34:59special day
35:00the rest of the world
35:01is watching
35:02things will go wrong
35:04errors
35:05will occur
35:06but we have made
35:08a difference
35:08that on balance
35:09will dramatically
35:10improve the lives
35:12of young people
35:12in this country
35:13and I'm pretty soon
35:15it will also be true
35:16for the rest of the world
35:17thank you Prime Minister
35:18thank you Peter
35:24and thank you for all
35:25being here today
35:26on such a special day
35:28that concludes
35:28the formalities for today
35:30the Prime Minister
35:30invites you to stay
35:31grab some food
35:32enjoy the afternoon
35:34and once again
35:35thank you for being here
35:36in support on this
35:36special day for families
35:37across Australia
35:39thanks very much
35:39thank you
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