Australia expands online safety laws beyond social media age ban

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has released a draft Digital Duty of Care bill requiring social media and tech platforms to protect children from harmful content and give adult users control over their feeds through algorithm choice.

The legislation, released for consultation today, extends protections beyond last year's world-leading ban on social media accounts for children under 16. Albanese said more than five million accounts have been removed or deactivated since that ban took effect, and the new laws will "ensure that they work as they intended".

The bill requires platforms to protect children from content promoting eating disorders, misogynistic material, pornography and content glorifying crime. It mandates user empowerment tools giving people over 16 genuine choice about their feeds and will give the eSafety Commissioner power to issue removal notices for nudify apps or websites.

Platforms must also document measures taken to address harm to Australian users and ensure those measures remain effective over time. Companies that breach the laws face penalties exceeding $100 million.

Communications Minister Anika Wells said tech companies have conducted "real-time, unregulated product testing on Australians" and the bill sets basic safety standards comparable to those for cars, food and appliances. "Tech companies can still move fast, but they will no longer be allowed to break things," Wells said.

Emma Mason, whose daughter Tilly died by suicide in February 2022, spoke in support of the reforms. "This is a new era," Mason said. "Digital Duty of Care now means that there is not just social media restrictions, but looking at all technology and protecting."

Wayne Holdsworth, whose son Mac died two and a half years ago, said the legislation must proceed urgently. "As each week passes, we lose Australian children to social media," Holdsworth said. "We can't see that happening again. We've got to act now."

Jim Hungerford from the Butterfly Foundation said the helpline hears daily from people whose feeds are filled with weight-focused content that drives eating disorder development. Butterfly welcomes the inclusion of disordered eating as a named harm in the draft bill.

Albanese said the reforms are "sensible, pragmatic, practical" and represent "change from the bottom-up, my Government listening and acting." He said Australia has "started a global movement with more than 20 countries taking similar action."