Smartphone Free Childhood movement has sights on Australia

Laws will prevent children from accessing social media until they are 16, but these parents’ international movement wants to go further.

Smartphone Free Childhood co-founders Joe Ryrie and Daisy Greenwell

A UK mother campaigning to save children from online harm says the Australian government’s commitment to legislate social media age limits should give other countries confidence to do the same.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this week announced the government would legislate age limits for platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat before the election due in May, following consultation with states and territories.

The decision came after News Corp Australia’s Let Them Be Kids campaign called for a minimum age of 16 to be introduced for social media in Australia after exposing skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, eating disorders and other harms in children.

Daisy Greenwell, who co-founded parent-led movement Smartphone Free Childhood with her husband Joe Ryrie and friend Clare Fernyhough, said it was fantastic Australia was taking the lead to be brave and stand up to powerful tech companies.

“This is such an urgent issue – a whole generation of kids are having their childhoods colonised by the addictive and predatory design of Big Tech in pursuit of profit whilst governments around the world prevaricate,” she said.

“Until the social media companies can prove that their products are safe for kids, kids shouldn’t be on them.

“This commitment from Albanese should give confidence to other countries around the world – who are all dealing with the same issues around social media and kids – and encourage them to follow suit.”

The federal government will legislate against social media exposure in young children.

Smartphone Free Childhood was born out of Ms Greenwell and Ms Fernyhough’s dilemma about whether to give smartphones to their children.

An Instagram post by Ms Greenwell in February asking parents to join the discussion in a WhatsApp group went viral.

Now more than 120,000 people have joined the movement in hundreds of WhatsApp groups across the UK, and it has a presence in 18 other countries, including Australia.

This week the movement launched Parent Pact, which invites UK parents to agree to wait to get their child a smartphone until they are at least 14.

Every county in Britain has a pact, with 20,000 parents signing on in the first 24 hours and with expectations that will grow to more than 100,000.

“Young teenage brains are at a critical stage of development and so we believe that waiting until they’re 16 to start using social media is the best chance we have as parents to ensure they remain healthy and happy,” Ms Greenwell said.

Mr Albanese has not committed to a specific age for the limit, with the government expected to await feedback from its $6.5m age assurance trial and consult with premiers before setting a nationally consistent standard.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton announced in June that a Coalition Government would set a limit at 16 years of age.

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has been investigating banning social media access for under-14s.