Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Were you that kid who found a creative way around it when you heard the word 'no'? I know I was, and I expect many of you were too. I was mostly good at sticking to the rules, but there was always a line I was willing to step over—and that line for me was staying up late on a Friday night, sneaking up the hallway and peering through the door just to watch a little bit more TV. The more I was told I could not stay up past my bedtime, the more I was determined to do it.

Pushing the boundaries is something kids are great at.

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Multicultural Engagement) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You rebel!

Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I've got a cause now, though! This is why I know teens are going to push any boundaries the government tries to set when it comes to banning social media. I know there were good intentions behind this ban. I agree there are huge issues around the kinds of content children and teens have been able to access online, and how social media platforms can impact their mental health. I think we're all on the same page in thinking that children under 10 probably shouldn't be posting content of themselves to social media platforms.

The issue we're not talking about enough is that age verification will rely on social media platforms complying with Australia's rules. They will have to set up processes within sign-up systems to check you are the age you say you are. Given how we're going with trying to get Meta to pay for news content in Australia, I'd say the chances of Facebook or Instagram checking ages are pretty slim. But how do we actually put something in place to stop kids using social media? The answer to this question is identification, but we already squirm about how much information we are required to share with government agencies. Are we really going to entrust our valuable information to the internet?

I've heard debates in this place from all sides about the importance of privacy and securing data online, and I agree it's very important. After sharing my personal information, I don't want to be scammed when the organisation I shared it with is hacked. Optus, Medibank, Latitude: it hasn't been that long since these data breaches resulted in millions of people's data being shared online. But here we're talking about encouraging our kids to hand over their ID to social media giants. Anyone who has spent any time with a teenager knows they will find a way around any ban you give them. They will find new ways to connect on social media or new platforms to use that get around the ban. Any kid that knows anything about tech will sign up for a VPN and get around the system in five minutes.

In trying to keep kids safe, we will create other problems. Social media is a lifeline for many kids living in remote areas or those who can't leave their home. Going online is the way they access the world. Banning social media cuts legal access to these kids, so we'll be forcing them to find other means to communicate with their friends. But whether this ban on social media applies to kids aged 16 or under 14, whichever age the government decides on, that really is a decision for parents. Educating kids about the good, the bad and everything in between online is really a parent's job. It's up to us to talk to them about the kinds of things that are appropriate on the internet—and the things that are not. I did this with my own kids, and I still do now. I put my hand up. I set them up with social media accounts when they wanted them, even when they weren't old enough. The deal was they had to be open and honest with me about what was going on, what they were doing, and to talk to me about anything that that didn't feel quite right. It's the same situation as when parents choose to give their kids alcohol at a year 12 party. It's a way for them to experience alcohol and to understand the consequences, but in a safe environment. I treated social media in the same way for my kids.

This proposed social media ban is really just a vote grab. There are no real thoughts on how it can be enforced, but it's a great headline leading into an election. If this was really about kids, we'd give them the tools they need to help them make their own decisions about what is happening online. Instead, I feel like we're just going to end up pushing them towards further problems.

If age verification isn't the answer, then what is? Let me go back to my earlier point about basic parenting: if you've given your child a device, turn on the parental controls, talk to them about what is okay and what isn't and keep that conversation going on forever.