The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) has applauded moves by the South Australian government to ban children under the age of 14 from having social media accounts. Those aged 14 and 15 would require parental consent under the nation’s first such proposal.
The SA government is awaiting legal advice on whether it can proceed with the legislation. State Premier Peter Malinauskas has appointed former High Court chief justice Robert French to examine how the state could implement the ban.
The Premier who’s a father of four children under 10 said: “Like most parents, I am concerned about the impact social media is having on children in our community. We are seeing mounting evidence from experts of the adverse impact of social media on children, their mental health and development. I am determined to ensure as a government we are doing everything we can to protect our children.”
Mr. Malinauskas added he was also concerned about how social media companies were using “addictive” algorithms to keep younger people on their devices for longer, as well as the exposure of children to illegal content and cyber bullying.
Federal Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland said the government welcomed any Australian jurisdiction seeking to keep Australians safe online. She noted: “The federal government is funding a $6.5 million age assurance trial to address children’s access to age inappropriate content online, including on social media. We are also reviewing the Online Safety Act to ensure our online regulator eSafety has the powers it needs to keep Australians safe.”
Currently major social media platforms require users to be at least 13 years old to sign up for accounts, but it doesn’t seem to be diligently policed. The South Australian push follows a growing number of global jurisdictions banning social media access for children.
The US state of Florida has legislated to ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for 14 and 15 year-olds, while Texas has legislated to require parental consent before allowing a user under the age of 18 to open an account. Spain also bans children under 14 from accessing a social network.
ACL State Director Ashlyn Vice claims the proposed laws don’t go far enough. She’s calling for more safeguards such as strict age verification processes to shield children from easy access to adult sites on the internet. Ms. Vice also wants tighter restrictions on content that promotes gender ideology online.
