Getting to tell their teens social media is illegal is a big win for parents | Samantha Maiden

Tanya Plibersek summed it up perfectly when she revealed her own angst and guilt about her children’s social media use – and why things need to change, writes Samantha Maiden.

Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek called it correctly back in May when she warned of her fears a dangerous experiment is being conducted in real time on our children.

Despite being an enthusiastic user of social media, for both getting her political message out and, she quipped, posting photos of quolls and bettongs, bees and flowers, she feared too many kids were getting their sex ed from online porn.

“Boys are learning how to treat women and girls from watching violent and degrading porn,’’ she says.

“When they do become sexually active, the images imprinted on their young brains become embodied in real life. Girls are being convinced that uncomfortable, painful, violent, or degrading experiences are normal in sex.

Minister for Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek during Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“I reckon I’m not the only one stopping to pause – and ask – should I have pushed back more against the absolute incursion of the internet and particularly social media into our lives?’

“In fact the front pages of last weekend’s News Corp papers were asking the same question. “Should we wait until our kids are 16 before giving them access to social media?

“Should I have pushed back harder against my children’s use of social media? And is it too late to push back now?”.

Meanwhile, SA Premier Peter Malinauskas has been busy answering that question.

When he arrived in Canberra at the end of last week for the national cabinet, he was preparing to drop a big report on how governments should push back. Over dinner at The Lodge, he pushed for action and the Prime Minister was also listening.

The proposal, he explained, was designed by former High Court Chief Justice Robert French who was tasked by Mr Malinauskas with examining the legal and technological issues related to banning young children from using social media.

Under the plan, children under the age of 14 will be banned from using social media and companies could face million-dollar fines if kids create accounts under a new proposal that could be rolled out across Australia.

The father of four urged state premiers and the PM to embrace the plan he launched just days later, warning “parents are tearing their hair out”. But the simple fact is a national approach is needed and federal action is the key.

Comparing social media to selling children cigarettes, he warned that while governments did nothing a generation of Australians were suffering devastating mental health impacts.

Crucially, the SA Premier accused social media giants of “buck-passing” and blame-shifting over the problem despite the fact “the technology does exist”.

And that was critical because while the Prime Minister is a long-time supporter of cracking down on access to social media for kids, there was a risk that reform got bogged down in trials and bureaucracy.

“I think we’ve got to call time on that approach. I mean, these are the companies themselves that are making the money off the back of, and we should be clear about this, they are industrialising addiction. They profiteer from young people’s addiction,’’ Mr Malinauskas said.

Parliament Peter Malinauskas. Picture: Ben Clark

It’s clear there’s been lots happening in the background.

On Thursday, the Albanese Government will introduce legislation to parliament giving the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) new powers to hold digital platforms to account and improve efforts to combat seriously harmful misinformation and disinformation.

Later this week, a new crackdown on social media companies allowing “criminal conduct” to flourish, and allowing scammers to rip off customers, will be unveiled, with draft legislation to go out for consultation.

Mr Malinauskas concedes some social media companies will resist the changes, but he wants to work with companies if they are willing.

“Well, see, it’s interesting, isn’t it? Because, I mean, Meta is, you know, as significant a company as Apple or Google in many respects,” he said.

“I mean, they’ve got huge balance sheets. Them calling for someone else to implement the technology seems to be nothing more than buck-passing.

“We’re not putting the obligation on parents. We’re not putting the obligation on children.

“The casino just can’t let a 16-year-old walk on a building and start punting. No different to Sportsbet online. So we put the obligation upon the companies that provide these services, and social media should be no different.

“They talk a good game. They’ve got policies and procedures. And then almost every single kid has got access to social media. The status quo isn’t working.”

The reforms have bipartisan support. Indeed, Peter Dutton announced the Coalition would implement the ban within 100 days if he wins the next election back in June.

And while some kids will inevitably find a way to circumvent the rules, the changes will provide a powerful licence to parents to simply say, “No it’s illegal.”

Originally published as Getting to tell their teens social media is illegal is a big win for parents | Samantha Maiden