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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-11-12 Daily Xml
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Social Media Regulation

Ms HUTCHESSON (Waite) (14:22): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier update the house on social media reforms?

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:22): I thank the member for Waite for her question. The member for Waite is as concerned as I think so many other parents around the country are about the impact that unregulated social media use is having on young people and the deleterious impact it is having on their health.

I am pleased to advise the house that on Friday of last week the Prime Minister convened a national cabinet meeting to discuss the social media reforms proposition that originated right here in the state of South Australia. Members of the house will recall that we initiated a policy in South Australia to introduce and implement a social media ban on children under the age of 16.

At the time we suggested that maybe the approach would be a total ban under 14 and allow parental permission for 14 year olds and 15 year olds, but nonetheless a social media restriction. That policy position, although it hasn't enjoyed universal support, had widespread support in the community and in large swathes of education experts, academia and the like.

We commissioned the French review, the French review made a bunch of recommendations and at that point—in fact, even before that point—we campaigned that this be a national reform rather than we see states adopting a hotchpotch or patchwork-quilt arrangement. I am very, very grateful that the Prime Minister has taken this up in support with the Leader of the Opposition federally—I acknowledge Peter Dutton's support of this reform, too—and now we have bipartisan agreement at the federal level, which is rare, for the social media reforms. National cabinet met last week and resolved that the social media ban should apply under the age of 16, and that should be a universal approach across the country.

So now we have national bipartisan agreement, at both the state and federal level, to implement world-leading legislation that will restrict social media service providers from providing accounts with the aim of addicting children under the age of 16. This is a big deal. This is a big deal, and a lot of parents care about it, and it started right here in South Australia.

I take this opportunity to again acknowledge the bipartisan support that exists. In fact, three days ago, or thereabouts, the Liberal Party of Australia itself put a meme up on Facebook saying:

Government supports Coalition's plan to set an age limit of 16 for Australians to access social media.

The South Australian Liberal Party put that post up on Facebook, for which they are in a perfectly reasonable position to do so. But I have to say it was disheartening that on 11 November—so, yesterday—none other than Senator Alex Antic was at it again. He was at it again saying:

Labor knows that the next generation of young people are being red pilled—

whatever that means—

by social media and turning away from their bleak world view.

He goes on to say:

Social media bans and 'misinformation' laws will ensure that young Australians only get a corporate left wing message bricking in a new generation of Labor voters.

What is it with this guy? What is it with your mate? What is it with the person that you put at the top of your ticket and allow, increasingly, to run your show? Not only is he opposing a position that you purportedly support, not only does he oppose a position that Peter Dutton supports, he somehow finds himself capable of opposing the position that every thoughtful parent across the country finds themselves willing to support. Shame on you! You should call it out but you are too gutless to do so.

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