‘No end in sight’: Dutton demands Big Tech ‘step up’ to end youth crime antics on social media

The youth crime crisis in Queensland is ‘out of control’ and being inflamed by social media, Opposition leader Peter Dutton has declared, as he demands tech giants step up.

The youth crime crisis in Queensland is “out of control” and being inflamed by social media, Opposition leader Peter Dutton has declared, as he demands tech giants step up and show leadership in the space.

Drawing on his experience as a Queensland cop prior to politics, Mr Dutton warned the blame was not just with tech, but that state and federal governments, the justice system and the judiciary, community leaders, and social media giants all needed to step up.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

It follows a spate of shocking, high-profile incidents in the state, including footage being uploaded of an incident where a 13-year-old girl was allegedly tortured and bashed by three other teenagers, while there are TikTok and other social media accounts dedicated to youths stealing cars, driving recklessly and taunting police.

Mr Dutton said it was clear more needed to be done to rein in the youth crime crisis, with online being a part of that.

“The crime crisis we are seeing in Queensland is out of control, and there is no end in sight,” he said.

“As a former police officer, I know the pressures our police force is under; and I know all too well the terrible effects of violent crime, in particular domestic violence and youth crime that are out of control.

“As we’ve seen recently, online radicalisation and online streaming are increasingly playing a role in some of the crime types we are seeing – and we need to see more leadership from social media giants in this space.”

Queensland youth offenders posting their crimes to Instagram

The Opposition leader said tech firms had to understand and embrace their responsibility to the communities which had enriched them and their shareholders.

“The onus is now upon social media giants to step up and to be the corporate citizens that they believe that they should be,” he said.

Mr Dutton pointed to Coalition policies, such as the anti-trolling laws introduced in 2022 intended to make social media companies more accountable for defamatory comments made by anonymous users, as well as its election promise to require tech companies to have parental controls like website blockers installed on smart phones and tablets installed in Australia.

Mr Dutton accused Labor of being “incapable of standing up to big social media companies and tech giants”.

“This is a fight that is worth fighting and I can promise you that the Coalition will continue to hold these social media giants to account to deliver a safer community and a safer Australia,” he said.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the online safety for Australians was a core priority of the Albanese Government and had long been an area of bipartisan support.

“It is the primary responsibility of the digital industry to keep their users safe, especially children. Platforms are expected to establish and enforce terms of service to address inappropriate content on their services.

“The eSafety Commissioner has powers to require the removal of material that would be refused classification in Australia, which includes material instructing in crime. eSafety often work directly with platforms and law enforcement to have material down quickly.”
She said eSafety received its largest funding boost of $42.5 million in Tuesday’s federal budget, up from $10.3 million.

“This funding will make sure the eSafety Commissioner continues to support Australians by investigating more complaints, delivering more education and outreach programs, and holding industry to account.”