Australia’s Social Media Ban: Chaos & Concerns 🇦🇺💔

World News

The federal Nationals’ youth branch is calling for the complete repeal of the proposed under-16s social media ban, coinciding with a growing push within the Coalition to halt the impending legislation. Concerns have been voiced by Coalition members including leader Sussan Ley, Andrew Bragg, and Matt Canavan, particularly regarding the scheduled commencement of the ban on December 10th, despite the opposition’s passage of legislation explicitly setting that date. Former leader Peter Dutton has also championed the ban. Young Nationals president Charlie Plant argues the measure would disproportionately harm regional Australians, stating, “Many young Australians in regional and remote areas rely on social media to stay connected with family and mates – this ban risks cutting those kids off, inadvertently making things worse for them than they were before.” Plant further contends the ban will simply push children onto riskier, less regulated platforms, making their access taboo and illegal, and placing them in a particularly vulnerable position. He and the Young Nationals advocate for a classification system for social media, analogous to that used for movies and television, allowing parents to establish rules for their children while simultaneously mandating the integration of parental controls on electronic devices. Sussan Ley, doubling down on her stance, dismissed the ban as a “botched failure.”

“We need to see parents, children, and the wider community reassured that this policy will be implemented effectively and successfully,” stated Shadow Communications Minister Melissa McIntosh. She has long expressed reservations regarding the policy, particularly concerning the demonstrated flaws in the imperfect age verification technology used during the government’s trial. “My concern is that it won’t achieve its intended purpose: protecting Australian children,” McIntosh argued. “While this was initially a Coalition policy and I support the underlying intent, it’s evolving into something fundamentally different.” McIntosh highlighted the government’s decision to set a December 10th deadline, despite errors identified during the trial, and criticized Minister Wells’ subsequent shift to language suggesting imperfection. “That’s simply not acceptable,” she asserted. Minister Wells, in comments delivered on Wednesday, indicated that social media users would not be required to present government identification. He also criticized what he described as a “dog whistle campaign” promoted by Shadow Minister Andrew Bragg, who last week posted on X: “Why is YouTube being banned? Is this still Australia?” Bragg told Guardian Australia that he was concerned about the approach of regulating designated social media companies through bureaucratic channels rather than through legislation within parliament. “We were told YouTube was out, and I don’t understand why we need a bureaucracy to run the country this way.”