Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has supported the idea of prohibiting children under 16 from creating social media accounts, stating that excessive online activity at a young age significantly harms their mental well-being.

The prime minister supported raising the minimum age for social media account registration from 13 to 16, intending to give teenagers more time to mature without encountering online social pressures.

"What we want is our youngest Australians spending more time outside playing sport, engaging with each other in a normal way, and less time online," Albanese told Nova FM radio on Tuesday. "And one way to do that is through restrictions on social media."

He mentioned that the frequently harsh commentary on social media could harm adults and have an even more detrimental effect on children.

Shirley Cramer, CEO of RSPH, said, "As the evidence grows that there may be potential harms from heavy use of social media... it is important that we have checks and balances in place to make #socialmedia less of a wild west when it comes to young people's mental health." pic.twitter.com/JLyHn6KTMT

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 6, 2023

"It can be devastating," Albanese said, adding, "I don’t look at the comments on my social media because, if I did, I’d find it difficult to leave the house in the morning. People will say things anonymously that are terrible."

Australia's Nova FM is conducting a campaign to raise the minimum registration age for social media to 16, and has initiated a petition called "36 months." This petition urges the government to "raise the threshold for social media citizenship" by implementing a 36-month delay in the age at which children can create an account, allowing them more time to develop without being influenced by social media.

State premiers in Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, and New South Wales have also supported the campaign to raise the minimum age for social media registration.

Trial period 

In addressing the campaigns, Albanese highlighted the government's proposed trial, which was allocated $6.5 million in funding in last week's budget. This trial focuses on age assurance measures for websites, especially those featuring adult content.

Limited information is available regarding the trial to be conducted by the office of the eSafety Commissioner, including details such as its operation, the inclusion of specific websites, the potential involvement of social media platforms, and the commencement date remain unclear.

Read next: UK seeking to possibly ban social media use for kids under 16

Usually, when registering, social media platforms request users to provide their birthdates, and they typically prohibit individuals under the age of 13 from registering. However, this restriction is often circumvented. Companies like Meta employ alternative methods to identify younger users, such as analyzing behavioral patterns indicative of similar younger users, including the pages they follow and the content posted around their birthdays.

In Australia, Instagram offers age verification measures where users can confirm they are over 18 by uploading an ID, utilizing a video facial age estimator, or having another over-18 account vouch for them.