Zoe Daniel (Goldstein, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Mental health organisations like ReachOut, headspace, Alannah & Madeline Foundation and others say an age ban on social media won't work, that it may cut young people off from support and expose them to new harms. EU countries have moved on big tech's algorithms, while Australia falls behind and constituents in Goldstein and across the country battle everything from misogynistic content to gambling and eating disorder triggers. Why doesn't the government properly deal with this and make social media companies take responsibility for their algorithms?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Goldstein for her question. I know she is genuine about her concern on this issue and on issues of youth mental health, body image and eating disorders and social media and its impact. In particular, I would like to acknowledge her genuine and tireless engagement with the very broad range of stakeholders, including young people themselves, on these issues. I also acknowledge the member's joint report with the Butterfly Foundation, which I've had a look at, from May 2024, and the member for Goldstein's roundtable—it would appear from the photo—here in Parliament House, in order to engage directly about these issues. I do note though that recommendation 10 of the report recommends very clearly that social media platforms be required to have accurate age verification for all accounts and clearly articulate what these are and measure and report on their efficacy.

The people that I've engaged with, that the Minister for Communications has engaged with, that members of cabinet and members of our government have engaged with, and the parents on the sidelines of football games and netball courts on the weekend and the parents talking after school are all really concerned. They want their young ones off their devices and onto those footy fields and tennis courts and into those swimming pools—whatever it is. They want their young people, their children and their grandchildren, for that matter, to have real experiences with real people. That is why we have taken the decision that we have.

On the matter of algorithms that the member raises, our statutory review of the Online Safety Act, led by Delia Rickard, is currently looking into algorithms and will recommend systems that empower them and will report next month. The review is a broad-ranging examination of the effectiveness of the act and will consider whether additional protections are needed for harmful online material. We've brought forward this review because we recognise the need to keep up with changing technology and keep up with emerging harms. In the meantime, we've funded and commenced a new phase of our Stop it at the Start campaign to tackle online misogyny. We've also established a joint select committee into social media to continue the important policy development work.

I know that this is an issue that concerns every member of this parliament, and, more importantly than that, I know that it concerns every parent out there. This has been raised with me over recent years more than any other issue, and that is why my government is determined to act and to get that action right. That is why we're doing the trial that was funded in the budget in May.