South Australia moves to ban children from accessing ‘addictive’ social media

South Australia will become the first state to introduce legislation aiming to ban social media for children under the age of 14.

Premier Peter Malinauskas on Sunday released draft legislation which would oblige social media platforms to ensure children can’t get access.

“We know that in some instances social media services can be a force for good, but we also know they can do great harm to young people,” he said.

“In the past where we know that alcohol or cigarettes or drugs are doing children harm, then governments respond and do something about it – we either ban it or we regulate it.”

The move comes after former High Court Chief Justice Robert French was tapped to lead a legal examination of age-based social media restrictions in May.

On Sunday, Mr French delivered his 276-page document, which also calls for a new regulator with the power to oversee compliance and issue fines.

“The social issue with which you and your government are engaging is one of global concern,” Mr French wrote.

“For my own part, I would hope that the South Australian initiative leads to some form of coherent national response.”

If passed, the proposed laws would place a positive obligation and duty on social media companies to ensure children under the age of 14 could not access their sites and require parental consent for those aged 14 and 15 to visit social media.

The legislation would also enable parents to sue for damages if their child suffered mental or physical harm due to breaches by platforms.

Mr French’s report will be used as the starting point for future public consultation.

A 2024 survey from Australian mental health service ReachOut found social media was the “number one” issue of concern for parents and carers about their child’s development, with 55 per cent saying social media had a significant impact on their child’s wellbeing.

More than half of Australians think social media is doing more harm than good, according to survey results from market research firm Ideally.