The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 was passed in the federal parliament on Friday, 29 November, banning the use of social media by under-16s.
Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, X and others are all banned. The bill places the onus on the social media giants and not young people or their parents to stop under-16s from having social media accounts. Systemic breaches will see platforms face fines up to $49.5 million. “Social media is doing harm to our kids,” said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a media release announcing the ban on 29 November. “We’ve called time on it. We want our kids to have a childhood and parents to know we have their backs.”
We asked you to share with us on social media (of course!) what you thought of this ban.
I doubt it could be enforced. Young people access gambling apps despite those platforms having 18+ legal requirements. Parents need to be trained to help their children understand the significance and impact of inappropriate use of social media platforms instead of it being a ‘school’ problem.
Is this the response that was given when speed limits were introduced? Do we just allow any speed or is it a good idea to set limits? While I’m sure we have all gone over the limit at times as this law is also difficult to enforce, we know it’s ‘the rules’ and will face the consequences if caught.
There will be many parents who see this assistance as a positive because it takes the onus off them saying ‘no’. I don’t understand people who say, ‘it’s not enough’ – surely it’s a step in the right direction?
This is so needed and so important. Social media causes so many problems for young people, and the harm outweighs the benefit.
Not a country in the world has been able to ban social media. Our kids are tech savvy and if they want to use it they will. The ban also neglects the vital role that social media plays in the lives of young disabled, queer and marginalised youth in small communities who find a tribe and a sense of belonging online before they can physically travel to safe spaces.
I think it’s a good idea in theory, but I am worried about how it will look in practice. I also suspect a lot of parents will allow children to have social media anyway. I think parents need to be more involved in knowing what their kids are doing online – maybe this will help.
I think it is short-sighted and almost impossible to enforce. A blanket ban is not actually protecting kids, it is just delaying it and setting 16-year-olds free online without any ‘training wheels’. Policy can’t replace parenting.