Social media apps seen on an Apple iPhone smartphone device in Melbourne [Source: AAP Image/Joel Carrett]
Any ban on young people using social media needs to be implemented as soon as possible, the NSW premier says.
Ahead of a two-day summit between the NSW and South Australian governments on addressing social media issues, Chris Minns said age restrictions for the tech platforms were more than needed.
“I’d like to see (an age ban) done as soon as possible … ultimately, we have to draw a line in the sand,” he told Sky News on Sunday.
“This is a big change for Australia, but I think it’s warranted, given this is, in my view a global, unregulated experiment on young people and the prevalent use of social media.”
It comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote to state and territory leaders asking for input on how an age ban on social media could be implemented.
The federal government has indicated it will look to introduce legislation restricting social media use for young people, but an exact age limit has not been determined.
The prime minister asked premiers and chief ministers their preference for an age limit, and how parental consent could be factored in.
The leaders were also asked to consider whether young people with existing social media accounts would be exempt from any future ban.
Mr Minns said he would want to see a social media ban start at age 16, but there needed to be a uniform approach across states and territories.
“Wherever we end up is a world away from where we currently are, which is widespread use, which is obviously negative for a lot of people,” he said.
“The obligations would be on social media companies to make sure that they’ve got restrictions in place.”
Age verification trials are under way to help determine how a possible ban could be enforced.
