Wells vows to stare down legal threats from social media giants seeking to challenge age ban

Australia’s world-leading social media age ban is a chance for the ‘booming’ tech industry to innovate safer spaces for young teens, says new Communications Minister Anika Wells.

Exclusive: Australia’s world-leading social media age ban is a chance for the “booming” tech industry to innovate safer spaces for young teens to form healthy connections and learn online, says new Communications Minister Anika Wells.

In her first major interview since taking on the role, Ms Wells also vowed to stare down legal threats from social media giants seeking to challenge the age ban, warning she had “sharp elbows”.

“I don’t think that any of the arguments that have been put to me so far about why I should go back on this decision are as powerful as the arguments of parents who are either bereaved and no longer have their children with them at the hands of social media, or parents who just feel overwhelmed by the scale of the problem that is internet usage,” she said.

Ms Wells, who held the aged care portfolio last term, said she had seen how industry could “pivot” from a “defensive crouch” resistant to government regulation to being “forward leaning and trying to out-innovate each other”.

“It was remarkable (in aged care),” she said.

“And that was a sector on its knees, the tech sector is booming.

Communications Minister Anika Wells announcing that YouTube will now be included in under-16 social media laws. Picture: NewsWire/Martin Ollman

“I think if we set a very clear Australian culture, which is that social media platforms have a social responsibility, then good people will want to do that good work, and I can’t wait to work with them.”

Ms Wells on Wednesday joined Anthony Albanese to announce Labor would be acting on advice from the eSafety Commissioner to include YouTube in laws preventing children aged under 16 from holding accounts due to take effect in December.

Along with platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X and Facebook, YouTube will now be required to deactivate accounts held by young Australian teens, as well as take “reasonable” steps to prevent them circumventing the restrictions.

Under the laws the onus will be on the tech giants, not parents, to enforce the ban.

Ms Wells also committed to maintain transparency around information being considered by government to inform the new laws, such as last month’s release of the eSafety Commissioner’s advice on YouTube to the imminent publication of the age verification trial report in full.

“I think (transparency) is important, because we’re also asking the social media platforms to be more transparent about how they’re going about this,” she said.

Under the laws the onus will be on the tech giants, not parents, to enforce the ban. Picture: Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Ms Wells said her message to YouTube, which last week threatened legal action if the platform was added to the ban, was the laws weren’t going away and time would be better spent working out practical implementation issues.

“I’ve said to YouTube, we really want them to work with us and the eSafety Commissioner about how this works, rather than spending their time trying to pick apart the rationale for it in the first place,” she said.

When making the YouTube announcement, the Prime Minister said he wanted Australian parents to know the government has their back.

“We know this is not the only solution, and here’s more to do, but it will make a difference,” he said.