A tragic phone call with a grieving mother compelled Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to take action on social media regulations. Through it all, the conversation itself made an even greater impact. It focused attention on the acute need to address the mental health crisis exacerbated by social media. The intolerable loss of 12-year-old Charlotte O’Brien’s suicide from bullying has brought renewed attention to the harmful effects of social media on young people. As a result, there are now unprecedented calls for reform in this area.
Earlier this year, Annabel West, Albanese’s spouse, dove into Jonathan Haidt’s Anxious Generation. The book makes the case that smartphones and social media are significantly driving increasing anxiety, depression, and loneliness in children. In Massachusetts, during this same period, a consortium of 120 mental health practitioners and experts joined forces. They signed this open letter calling for the minimum age of social media use to be increased to 16. David Coleman, the Coalition’s communications spokesperson, began setting the stage for tougher children’s online protections almost a year earlier. Thus, their appeal picked up steam.
The Shift in Dialogue on Social Media Regulation
The discussion around social media regulation really started to shift in late 2023 / early 2024. David Coleman has worked closely with Labor on amendments to improve child safety online – including the establishment of a Children’s eSafety Commissioner. Afterward, proposals circulated calling for tech companies to provide other ways to verify a user’s age. These approaches must not be limited to people with formal identification.
Yet as lawmakers discussed these issues, Antigone Davis, Meta’s vice-president and head of global safety, voiced her alarm. She emphasized the impracticality of trying to implement an age cap in Canberra. As we discussed in our submission back in August 2024, figuring out whether projects comply with such regulations would create huge compliance headaches. These were serious issues, and yet despite these admonitions, calls to ban all use of social media by children under 16 rushed forward.
When faced with this reality, the South Australian Premier, Peter Malinauskas, acted quickly and decisively by banning mobile phone use in public schools. His focus would then turn to social media, pushing for tougher regulations to protect young people from its negative impacts. That’s when Malinauskas understood that something had to be done. He was touched to his core after listening to the heartbreaking testimony from families dealing with cyber bullying and mental health.
“I stopped and I thought about it, and I thought, ‘Well, maybe we can.’” – Peter Malinauskas
Business leaders in the commonwealth started to pay attention, too. Daniel Petre, a prominent Australian venture capitalist, recognized the urgency of redressing social media’s impact after reading Haidt’s book. He quickly became one of the loudest voices calling for immediate changes.
The Heart-Wrenching Stories Behind the Legislation
Our heartbreaking loss of Charlotte O’Brien inspired this legislative breakthrough. Her mother, Kelly O’Brien, has since become a fierce advocate for reform after the tragic death of her daughter. Charlotte fell victim to the bullies online and at school, taking her own life in September 2023. This case struck a chord with many Australians and highlighted the need for action to be taken against damaging online behaviors.
Emma Mason, a former classmate and close friend of O’Brien’s family, described her call with Albanese. After sharing Charlotte’s story, she sensed a shift in the Prime Minister’s resolve.
“I finished my pitch and the phone went silent, and then he just said, ‘I’ll do it’.” – Emma Mason
Albanese would later speak of the power of hearing Charlotte’s difficulty as the “framing moment.”
“It was so obvious social media had played a key role in the loss of this young person’s life.” – Anthony Albanese
Michael “Wippa” Wipfli, a popular Australian radio host, expressed why these conversations about mental health are so critical. He understands this fight just as deeply, having lost a family member to this crisis.
“The details in the letter, I’ll never speak of … I wouldn’t even let my wife see it,” – Michael “Wippa” Wipfli
He emphasized that while Charlotte’s story was just one among many, it had a profound impact on Albanese’s decision-making process.
The Legislative Journey Towards Change
The troublesome proposed laws aimed at restricting children and teens use of social media finally squeaked through Parliament last year. At first, it was thought that Google-owned platform YouTube would be carved out of these sweeping new regulations. As the conversations continued, it just became clear that we wanted complete measures. It was critical to address the major issues around kids’ online safety.
To head up the effort, Malinauskas appointed former Chief Justice Robert French to develop a detailed strategy. Their aim is to establish social media for kids under 16 banned. French had already warned the White House that children were being exploited on social media platforms. He lambasted their failure to work together to address these essential priorities.
One of the most notable advocates for strong implementation was eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who became a driving force behind the law’s interpretation and enforcement. She noted the emotional toll of listening to families’ stories impacted by online harassment and mental health emergencies.
“It’s upsetting, and it really is very emotional to hear the stories,” – Julie Inman Grant
Inman Grant reiterated frustration with how big technology firms typically prefer profit to protecting children.
“And then I think you very quickly switch to frustration and anger because you know that a lot more could be done to prevent these cases and the companies just see these kids as a profit line.” – Julie Inman Grant
As these reforms gained momentum, Peter Dutton pledged that if elected into a Coalition government, he would restrict access to social media for children under 16 within his first 100 days in office. His pledge was made several months before Albanese officially set out to seek reforms of a similar level.
