Question Time response - Online Harm

Question – Federal Member for Macarthur, Dr Mike Freelander MP 

My question is to the Minister for Communications. Parents in my community are telling me they are worried about the harms children are experiencing online. How will the Albanese Labor Government’s proposed minimum age for social media help protect young people and support parents?

Answer – Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP:

Thank you, Mr Speaker and I particularly acknowledge the Member for Macarthur as someone who has been involved in children's health his whole life. The safety and mental health of our children is paramount. We know interacting online can be a great way for children to connect, to learn about their world and develop skills for the future. We also know from research that social media and unfettered content that exists across many of these platforms can cause harms. They can affect mental health, healthy body image, unsolicited contact from strangers - some of the most extreme concerning for all of us. Parents are looking for real solutions to what is a legitimate national concern about harmful environments online and addictive behaviour on social media for children. 

Mr Speaker, the Commonwealth is providing national leadership to ensure children are better protected from online harms and parents are supported. Our Government will introduce legislation this year to enforce a minimum age for access to social media and other relevant digital platforms. As the Prime Minister said, we know technology moves fast but we have to do all we can to protect children in this area. Legislation on this issue will be informed by engagement with National Cabinet, engagement with eSafety Commissioner and draw on recent work by former Chief Justice French. This builds on the Albanese Government’s age assurance testing technologies and implementation approaches that will inform our policy design. It’s an important step to ensuring all Australian children can use the internet in an age-appropriate way that supports them, supports their learning and positive development. 

In my home state of New South Wales, mobile phones have been banned in schools, and the feedback from teachers has been very positive. Children are playing more, you can hear more noise and chatter on the playground because they’re not spending that time absorbed on their phones. The Government has been prepared to do our share and we have in our first term done more to act on the social, economic and harms to democracy than any other Government in the last 10 years. We've taken decisive action on a number of fronts to minimise online harms and concerns around social media, including bringing forward the review of the Online Safety Act by 12 months, amending the Basic Online Safety Expectations so platforms must place the best interests of the child at the centre of the products and services. We funded joint digital literacy programs in every school in partnership with the Alannah and Madeline foundation and we quadrupled ongoing base funding for the eSafety Commissioner to do their important work.

Fundamentally as we develop a legislative approach, we will focus on ensuring Government is not telling parents how to raise children, but we expect platforms and online services to do their fair share because this burden or response ability doesn't just rest with parents.