Marion Scrymgour (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, how will a social media age limit for children under 16 years old help keep young people safe online, and why is this so important?

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

I thank the member for Lingiari for her question. She is just one of the many members of this parliament who have made representations about the harm that social media is doing to our young Australians. Today, the government is calling time on it. Cabinet has approved a minimum age of 16 years to access social media and, tomorrow, I will convene National Cabinet to seek support for national legislation to be introduced by the end of this year. I want Australian parents and families to know that we have your back. I want to give children a childhood and give parents peace of mind. The onus will be on social media companies, not parents or young people. There will be no penalties for users. The eSafety Commissioner will provide oversight and enforcement.

I do thank the Minister for Communications for her determination and her focus. This has been a priority for this minister, and she has been a relentless champion for the wellbeing of our young people. I am also grateful for the work of civil society. The Let Kids Be Kids campaign and the 36 Months campaign have all been really important. This morning I met with Mat and Kelly O'Brien, parents of Charlotte, who tragically lost her life. I spoke to Kelly a few weeks ago. It is an unspeakable tragedy to lose one's child. I met with Robb Evans, the father of Liv Evans. No parent should ever go through what they have gone through. No parent should ever have to call on the sort of courage that they have shown in speaking out on behalf of others. I'm very grateful for their advocacy, and I pay tribute to them today.

Government has a responsibility to do everything we can to help as many young Australians as we can. We are stepping up and providing national leadership, and I'm confident that tomorrow, when the National Cabinet meets, we will ensure that there is a single system going forward to ensure uniformity. That is so important. We know that this isn't the only solution. We know there's more to do. We know that there's a ban on young people buying alcohol and that, from time to time, under-18s do get access, but that's not a reason to walk away from sending that message and putting in place the support for parents that they need and are calling for in order to support the children in their families.