Let Them Be Kids: Raising social media age on summit agenda

NSW Premier Chris Minns and his South Australian counterpart have both called for raising the age at which kids can get social media.

Raising the age at which kids can access social media will be at the top of the agenda of a two-day summit held by the NSW and South Australian governments.

In a win for News Corp’s Let Them Be Kids campaign, The Daily Telegraph can reveal that NSW Premier Chris Minns and his South Australian counterpart Peter Malinauskas will hold a joint summit probing the harms social media has on young people, and ways to reduce that harm.

Whistleblower Frances Haugen, a former Meta product manager who leaked thousands of documents exposing secrets of the tech behemoth, will address the summit.

Ms Haugen has been pushing for kids to not have access to smartphones until they are 14.

The summit will bring together policymakers in two states, as well as experts, academics, and young people.

Its priorities will include developing a “public health response” to minimising social media harms, and unpacking how social media can fuel extremism and misogyny.

NSW Premier Chris Minns wants kids to be older when they get access to social media. Picture: NewsWire

One of the aims for the summit will be exploring ways to ban kids accessing social media before they are 16, as proposed by News Corp’s Let Them Be Kids campaign.

Both Mr Minns and SA Premier Malinauskus have backed banning kids younger than 16 from accessing social media.

Before now, the Minns government has seen the issue of raising the social media age as a responsibility primarily held by the federal government.

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has asked a former judge to examine options to raise the social media age. Picture: Keryn Stevens

However, the state government summit will kick NSW bureaucrats into gear on working out ways that a ban could be imposed, in line with the Premier’s intention.

The South Australian Premier has already tasked a former High Court chief justice with examining how kids under 14 could be banned from social media, and how to require parental consent for 14 and 15 year olds.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also backed a ban in June, following a pledge from Opposition Peter Dutton to impose age restrictions on social media in the first 100 days of a Coalition government.

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen will address the summit. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Mr Minns described the impact of social media on children as a “global unregulated experiment” which was causing an “enormous amount of damage to young people”.

“This really is an opportunity for the NSW and SA Governments to lead the country on this and hear from experts including internationally, as well as young people and the community to look at the impact of social media on our young kids,” he said.

The SA Premier said that he is “determined to make a difference” on an issue causing harm to kids.

“At my request, former Chief Justice of the High Court Robert French is conducting a significant legal examination into banning children under the age of 14 from having social media accounts, and requiring parental consent for 14 and 15 year-olds,” he said.

“This summit will present a significant opportunity for parents to understand the scientific evidence underpinning our decision, and hear ideas on how to improve the wellbeing of our most important resource – our children.”

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