South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has expressed support for the Federal Government’s new law, which bans children under 16 from using social media. The law includes fines of up to $50 million for social media companies that don’t enforce the age restriction.
The federal government’s new law supports earlier efforts by the State Government, which had asked former Chief Justice Robert French to create a plan to limit underage access to social media. The state had hoped for national action, which led to the introduction of today’s federal legislation.
“I welcome the introduction of this landmark legislation to ban social media and congratulate the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland for taking this positive step to protect children,” Premier Peter Malinauskas said.
“The evidence is clear, social media is causing our children harm.
“I believe parents across the state and indeed the nation will welcome this ban, as government takes a proactive role in helping parents protecting their children from the harms of social media.”
The federal law requires social media companies to take steps to prevent children under 16 from creating accounts. An independent regulator will make sure the companies follow these rules.
This regulation follows several consultation efforts, including a Social Media Summit co-hosted by South Australia and New South Wales. The summit focused on the challenges and explored ways to protect children from the dangers of social media.
This legislative initiative comes in response to rising concerns about the effects of digital platforms on young people, including issues like mental health, privacy, and exposure to harmful content. The government’s action highlights the growing need for stronger regulation of the digital space to protect young users.
The bill’s progress in federal parliament will be closely watched by parents, educators, and child protection advocates, who are all invested in ensuring stricter age controls for social media use.
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