Social media bill: Aussie parents call on MPs to vote in favour banning under 16s from online platforms

Mums and dads around Australia are calling on MPs to have the courage to vote for world-leading legislation. They fear if it does not pass, more children’s lives will be lost.

Parents who have lost children to the evils of social media say politicians will have blood on their hands if they vote against a bill to ban under 16s from the online platforms.

Mums and dads from around Australia are calling for MPs to have the courage to vote for the world-leading legislation.

It follows pressure from social media giants, including X owner Elon Musk.

In a written submission to the one-day inquiry on the bill, the submission from X argued the ban would have a negative impact on young people and may not be lawful.

“We have serious concerns as to the lawfulness of the bill, including its compatibility with other regulations and laws, including international human rights treaties to which Australia is a signatory,” the submission stated.

Grieving Sydney mum Kelly O’Brien, and almost 200,000 people who have signed petitions calling for the ban, disagree.

Ms O’Brien’s 12-year-old daughter Charlotte took her own life in September after being bullied online.

“The last hug I received from my daughter was when I reached into her coffin and wrapped her arms around myself,” Ms O’Brien said.

“For those doubting the harmful effects of social media on young people I received a death certificate instead of a report card this term.”

Charlotte O'Brien with baby brother Will. The Inner-West Sydney Year 7 student died by suicide on September 9, 2024. Picture: Supplied

Victorian 17-year-old Mac Holdsworth took his own life in 2023 after being the victim of sextortion. Picture: Supplied

Wayne Holdsworth and daughter Daisy, 15, with Shandy the dog, at home in Melbourne. Picture: Jason Edwards

Wayne Holdsworth, whose son Mac, 17, took his own life in 2023 after he was blackmailed by a scammer pretending to be a teenage girl, said he was approached by three teenagers on Monday who are currently being extorted following a talk he gave at a Melbourne school.

“Every day that goes by without this legislation we have more children exposed to this terrorism and we lose more children to suicide like my boy,” Mr Holdsworth said.

“There will be children that will be extorted tonight and tomorrow and are susceptible to harm.

“If I don’t take another breath, my last breath would be to implement this bill.

“I beg the politicians to have the courage and save our kids.

“If they think the tech giants care at all about our kids they are in fantasy land. I believe the critics are extremely misguided.

“We will have blood on our hands if we don’t do this.”

Emma Mason, mother of 15 year old Tilly Rosewarne, who look her life after being bullied on social media. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Emma Mason’s girl, Tilly Rosewarne, took her life aged 15, after being bullied on social media.

“We don’t ask children if they’re okay about not drinking, or accessing cigarettes,” Ms Mason, from Sydney, said. “We know social media harms children, we have the research on that.

“I will be gutted if this doesn’t go through. My Tilly ended her life because she could not cope anymore with the bullying, particularly via social media. How many Tillys will there be if we don’t get the bill passed? How many bodies do we need? When will the body count stop? We need to fix this evil.”

A never-ending stream of TikTok fitness videos left 13-year-old Ollie Hughes battling anorexia before he took his life.

His mum Mia Bannister said “the unrealistic ideals, pressures, and torment he faced online played a significant role in his mental health decline”.

“Raising the minimum age to 16 sends a clear message about prioritising children’s safety and wellbeing over corporate interests.”

Mia Bannister at home with pictures of her late son Oliver Hughes, 14. Picture: Liam Kidston

She also said she wanted to see bans for under-16s on other platforms including YouTube, WhatsApp and Roblox.

Ali Halkic has been fighting for 14 years for better online safety guards for kids, after his boy Allem, 17, took his own life after being bullied.

“I’m so proud to be an Australian now, the stance we are taking to give back control to families and protect children from the exposures and dangers associated with social media gives me hope that the next generation of kids will be safe and have that chance to develop and live their lives,” Mr Halkic said.

Several Coalition backbench MPs have spoken out against the bill in recent days, emboldened by criticisms launched by X owner Elon Musk, as well as Labor’s recent decision to dump its more controversial misinformation laws.

The legislation has become the subject of a last-minute email campaign launched by the Australian Taxpayers Alliance claiming the proposal, backed by both Labor and the Coalition, would pave the way for “intrusive age verification systems” and force people to hand over personal information.

But Communications Minister Michelle Rowland addressed these privacy concerns in Question Time, confirming digital IDs were “not in scope” of the social media laws and would “not be used for age assurance”.

Anthony Albanese also spoke in favour of the bill in parliament on Monday, saying “there will be very strong and strict privacy requirements to protect people’s personal information”, including an obligation to “destroy information provided once age has been verified”.

The bill is expected to be debated in the lower house on Tuesday, with some amendments likely based on the snap senate inquiry held this week, with a final vote in the Senate due by Thursday.

Originally published as Social media bill: Aussie parents call on MPs to vote in favour banning under 16s from online platforms