How Australia became the testing ground for a social media ban for young people

In late 2023, the South Australian premier's wife put down a book she had been reading. It was Jonathan Haidt's The Anxious Generation. An American social psychologist, Haidt prescribed a social media ban for those aged under 16 as the solution to the mental health ills he believes are caused by the platforms. The ban was considered first by the states. South Australia commissioned a review and then held a summit on the subject in partnership with New South Wales.

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen spoke at day one of the summit, which was held in NSW. In emails obtained by Crikey under freedom of information, the South Australian government wasn't as keen to hear from Haugen since she had described a ban as a "bumper sticker solution". Haidt spoke via video link on day two of the summit, which was held in South Australia, saying he was "thrilled" with the potential for a ban. "We need to free kids from these traps by raising the age for opening social media to 16." And so the campaign for a ban began.

Following the summit, the federal government faced pressure to implement a national ban rather than having a patchwork of states implementing their own regulations. Less than a year out from the federal election, the then opposition leader, Peter Dutton, made it a signature policy for the Coalition. News Corp went all in, launching the "Let Them Be Kids" campaign, which coincided with Meta's announcement it would not enter into new deals to pay media companies for news content. Front pages advocating for the ban pushed things along.