Only adults should be allowed to access social media in Australia, with children banned from joining digital platforms just as they are stopped from accessing alcohol or cigarettes, an inquiry has been told.
Parent groups and researchers issued the call at the Social Media and Australian Society inquiry in Canberra on Monday.
They are urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton to raise the age of their proposed social media bans to 18 years.
The change would protect children from serious harm and provide a solution for parents struggling to understand online risks, they said.
But the call for a larger social media ban call goes against advice from some child safety organisations including Headspace and the National Women’s Safety Alliance, which warned a blanket ban would be tricky to enforce.
Representatives from three parenting groups appeared before the inquiry including The Heads Up Alliance founder Dany Elachi, who said children were not equipped to navigate challenges posed by social media.
“We believe the gold standard is 18 years of age,” he said.
“Parents urge our lawmakers to ignore the naysayers, those same ones who tried to stand in the way of school mobile phone bans in recent years.”
The current social media age restriction of 13 years does not reflect research findings, Mr Elachi said, but settings established years earlier without a scientific basis.
He challenged politicians to raise proposed social media age limits, saying children's access to platforms should be restricted in the same way as other harmful substances and pastimes.
“We’ve just put age limits on alcohol and tobacco,” he said.
“We don’t make exceptions for the 17-year-old who knows how to handle their alcohol a little bit better.”
Preventing all children from accessing social media could also benefit parents, Catholic School Parents WA executive director Siobhan Allen said, as many did not understand the risks and faced pressure from their children.
“Parents are struggling in this space,” she said.
“If there was legislation in place, it just becomes easier because... you can say to each other, ‘I’m not going to let you do anything to break the law’.”
The committee also heard emotional testimony from Ali Halkic, whose 17-year-old son Allem took his own life in 2009 following online bullying.
In addition to lifting age limits, Mr Halkic said the government should provide greater education on social media for parents to ensure they were aware of the risks and signs of distress.
“I contributed to my own son’s death,” he told the committee.
“I allowed him internet, allowed him to go on social media, I wasn’t aware of the impact that it had on him.”
Other youth mental health groups, including Headspace and the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, have advised against an age-based ban on social media.
National Women’s Safety Alliance executive director Katherine Berney told the inquiry a widespread ban would be challenging.
Rather than preventing children from accessing social networks, she said tech companies should be forced to block content such as pornography from underage internet users.
“We are absolutely in favour of age verification, especially with adult content, however I do acknowledge that blanket bans are going to be tough to implement and will require further discussions and more consultation,” she said.
The social media inquiry, established in May, is expected to release its recommendations in November.
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