eSafety acknowledges the government’s proposal, as announced today by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland, to introduce a minimum age of 16 for access to social media platforms and welcomes the government’s leadership on this important issue.
eSafety remains committed to working closely with government, industry, and the community to further strengthen Australia’s approach to online harms. A Commonwealth-led strategy will support greater alignment with the existing regulatory framework under the Online Safety Act 2021 (OSA), ensuring a more cohesive approach to protecting young Australians online.
eSafety is delivering strong outcomes under the OSA already, including preventive and educational programs, systemic interventions, and much greater levels of tech transparency to improve safety across the entire digital ecosystem, including social media.
This includes continuing to ensure that all technology – from AI to AR – are built with safety by design as a fundamental tenet. We must continue ensuring that the platforms and services Australians are using today and tomorrow are safer and that companies that profit from them are increasingly transparent and accountable.
While the details of new legislation are a matter for government and the Parliament, eSafety will continue providing its expertise to help ensure measures are effective and enforceable.
Even with minimum age restrictions in place, it is crucial that we continue supporting parents to play an active role in their children’s online lives.
Nothing can replace those vital conversations that help parents stay informed, set boundaries and help when something goes wrong.
It is also important that we continue supporting the positive experiences young people can have online by working to build their digital literacy and resilience.
That means teaching the four Rs of the digital age – respect, resilience, responsibility and reasoning – so young people are prepared for the online environment they will inevitably inhabit.
Prevention and education have always been a foundation stone of eSafety’s work and will remain so.
eSafety remains committed to working with teachers, parents and young people, through the eSafety Youth Council, to co-design educational resources that help develop children’s digital literacy, resilience and critical reasoning skills. We need to continue preparing our young people for the technology trends and digital environment of the future.
For more information on eSafety’s resources, programs and complaint schemes, visit www.esafety.gov.au