Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about very important news for mums, dads and grandparents all across Australia. That is that the Albanese Labor government will be introducing a minimum age for accessing social media. There is no issue raised more with me at the school gate than this one, and usually those conversations range somewhere between apprehension about what kids are being exposed to online because they simply don't know and horror because they do know and they are horrified by the reality. It's clear that these social media platforms can expose our kids in a way that impacts their mental and physical health. The truth is that social media companies have a social responsibility to our community and a responsibility to parents and children.

While Meta's announcement that it will give parents greater control over their teenagers' accounts is welcome, there have been far too many instances where these platforms have let children and families down. That is why reform is seriously important. We also have to take the time to get that reform right, to build on the work of Premier Peter Malinauskas in South Australia and the former Chief Justice of Australia the Hon. Robert French AC. We will continue the $6.5 million age-assurance trial to test different implementation processes to make sure we do this in an effective and a sustainable way, because a poorly designed, easily bypassed minimum age is not the answer. The government has committed to bringing legislation into the parliament by the end of the year. That is widely welcomed by parents in my community, who raised this issue with me more than any other. My hope is that this chamber will pass that legislation. That is what Australian parents are asking for. That is what they expect this chamber to deliver.