00:01And joining us now is Danny El-Archie, father and founder of the parents group, the Heads
00:07Up Alliance, which campaigned for the social media ban.
00:11He joins us now.
00:12Very good morning to you, Danny.
00:13What's your response to these harsher penalties and stronger powers that the government is
00:17pursuing?
00:19Good morning.
00:20I think it's a step in the right direction, of course.
00:23My concern is, however, we haven't been able to do anything, very little, if anything at
00:29all in the last seven months since the legislation has been in effect.
00:33So doubling the fines smacks to me of two times nothing, which is still nothing.
00:40I do have to wonder at what point the Prime Minister, who himself, I believe just yesterday,
00:47mentioned that big tech companies are using every trick in the book to evade their responsibilities
00:52under the legislation.
00:52You do have to wonder at what point does the Prime Minister say to these companies, if you
00:58don't want to play by the rules, then you don't get to do business in this country.
01:01So while I know that your kids were banned from social media even before these laws were introduced,
01:07what's been your experience of seeing the laws in action or the difference or otherwise
01:12that they have been making?
01:15Well, they have made a difference to those families where the legislation has taken effect.
01:22You know, those families, of course, mentioned that their children are reading again, playing
01:29again, doing all the great stuff of childhood again.
01:32But unfortunately for many families, they say that the legislation hasn't made a difference
01:38to them.
01:39So we are concerned that the enforcement, I mean, we have to remember, of course, that the legislation
01:46was passed in December 2024.
01:48That gave the companies a whole 12 months before it even kicked in in December 2025 to
01:53get themselves prepared.
01:54And we're now seven months since December 2025 and we still, you know, trying to wield this
02:00stick.
02:01And that does concern me because it tells me, just as it seems to have sunken in with the
02:09Prime Minister, that these companies aren't actually making an effort.
02:13So what do you think would force them to make an effort?
02:16What would make a real and practical difference?
02:19Well, I think, I mean, if we take any other industry, if the cigarette industry or the automotive
02:26industry, you know, was by law required to do certain things with their products before
02:32putting it out into the market, particularly for children, and they simply flout those obligations,
02:37I think at some point you have to say, well, move out and we'll give the opportunity for
02:42other market players to step in who want to do the right thing and be good corporate citizens.
02:48As a parent, Danny, why did you decide to restrict or delay social media access for your kids?
02:54Tell us what inspired that decision for you.
02:57Well, look, the list is endless.
03:00We started that rule in our family six or seven years ago.
03:04So since then, we've been vindicated month after month with new and fresh studies about
03:09the impact of social media on youths.
03:14You know, apart from all the terrible content that they receive, just the fact that it takes,
03:20steals so much of their day, day in, day out, you know, in Australia, I think the average
03:24is somewhere of four point something hours of children wasting their time on social media,
03:30largely just scrolling through reels and things like that.
03:32And the opportunity to give our children their childhoods back, for them to be doing the things
03:36that will form the foundation of a good adult life, is what prompted not only our family,
03:42but thousands of families across Australia to take that step even before the legislation was a thing.
03:49And speaking to other parents, is that something that is largely shared by others?
03:55Yes, it is.
03:56The concerns are almost universal.
03:59Very, very few parents want to give their children access to TikTok at the age of 12.
04:04Unfortunately, children do get access, largely because of pressure from the notion that everybody
04:12else is on it, and if my children aren't on these platforms, then they may be excluded socially.
04:17So the whole idea of getting all of Australia's children back into play, back into real life
04:24engagement, is such a brilliant concept, because it takes that pressure off any individual family
04:30that wants to go down that path.
04:33So, yeah, parents are overwhelmingly for this.
04:37Of course, there are outliers, but, you know, the research and the surveys that were conducted
04:42before the laws even took effect show that the support for the legislation is upwards of 80%.
04:49Well, Danny El Archie, father and founder of Heads Up Alliance,
04:53we appreciate you speaking to us this morning.
04:56Thank you so much.
04:56Thank you for the opportunity.
04:58All right, good evening and talk to everybody.
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