Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question. Parents shouldn't have to go it alone when navigating the complex world of social media for their children, and that is why the Albanese government will introduce legislation this year to limit the age of access for social media. Now, our approach is not about telling parents how to raise their children. Their perspectives on this have been and will continue to be central to our approach. But parents have told me—and I'm sure they've told a lot of us—that they are overwhelmed trying to manage their children's social media access and they want cultural and legal change. The Albanese government will drive that change.

Parents know that social media has many benefits, including a way to connect and communicate with friends and family and, even, as an important tool for neurodivergent children. However, it can be addictive. It can be an avenue for cyberbullying and algorithms that surface harmful or adult content that children shouldn't see. That is why we are considering the perspectives of young people in our decision to limit access to social media. Young people expect governments and the platforms to protect them from the harms that they experience.

The Butterfly Foundation notes that, over the past 12 years, there has been a staggering 200 per cent increase in 10- to 14-year-olds with diagnosed eating disorders in Australia, and this has occurred at the same time that we have seen the growth and prevalence of social media use by young people and the influencers they are exposed to on these platforms. We know that social media has become a megaphone for the Andrew Tates of the world, who are cultivating narratives of misogyny and gender based violence. Limiting young people's access to social media is an important step in a comprehensive approach to online safety that is central to the Albanese government's agenda.

Rarely is any government decision met with universal agreement. But so many parents are telling us that they need help, and our government will support them. We cannot eliminate every harm facing young people online, but we can take steps to make their world safer than it is now. Our government will do all we can to address the harms that social media companies are unable or unwilling to address themselves.

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