National cabinet passes social media age ban for kids under 16

Tech companies face “significant fines” if they breach the rules.

Social media giants will be tasked with enforcing the age restrictions, which will likely come into effect next year or 12 months after the legislation is passed through parliament.

During the national cabinet meeting with state and territory leaders, Anthony Albanese said he wanted all jurisdictions to have uniform rules to give parents clarity.

The Prime Minister said while Tasmania had called for the age to the reduced to 14, the state ultimately agreed to the federal government’s position because it “didn’t want to stand in the way of national uniformity”.

“Social media is doing social harm to our young Australians and I am calling time on it,” he told journalists at a joint press conference with Communications Minister Michelle Rowland.

“The safety and mental health of our young people has to be a priority, and my government will do all that we can to protect our young Australians but also to provide support for parents and teachers who are dealing with these issues.”

States and territories have agreed to the federal government’s proposal to ban social media for children under 16. Picture: NewsWire/ Nikki Short

Ms Rowland said the proposed legislation will contain “strong privacy protections,” which would be informed by the government’s age assurance trial.

While the government has said some platforms could be exempt from the ban, like YouTube Kids, she confirmed TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram would be included.

“The exemptions framework operates on the basis … that we need to make sure that young people still have access to educational to health needs, noting that a number of mental health services, for example, actually operate like platforms,” she said.

The government has also confirmed children and parents won’t be subjected to penalties if they flout the ban, with the onus placed on social media companies.

Mr Albanese said the tech giants had a “social responsibility” to not do harm and implored them to “accept those issues” and work “constructively” with the government.

However, Meta – the parent company of Facebook and Instagram – has said its technology to enforce the limit “isn’t quite there yet”.

Instead, its regional policy director Mia Garlick has advocated for the verification process to occur within Apple and Google app stores when the platform is downloaded.

“When you get a new phone or a new device, you do spend a bit of time sitting down as a family, setting it all up,” she told the ABC on Friday.

“Age information is collected at that time and so there is a really simple solution there, that at that one point in time … verification can occur.”