The Allan Labor Government is set to reshape how young people engage with social media, putting parents’ concerns at the heart of a new public consultation. This effort will help craft a fresh education initiative aimed at keeping kids safe online.
Premier Jacinta Allan, accompanied by Education Minister Ben Carroll, launched the consultation today at Mount Waverley Secondary College. The initiative invites parents, teachers, and students to share their experiences and worries about social media, offering them a platform to shape the future of digital safety in schools.
At the core of this consultation is the Safe Socials program. It’s not just about laying down age restrictions; it’s about empowering young people with the tools they need to navigate the online world. Set to be rolled out in schools, Safe Socials will serve as a key resource for students, teachers, and families, offering practical guidance on living with social media.
This initiative follows in the footsteps of successful government programs like Safe Schools and Respectful Relationships, and builds on Victoria’s leadership in banning mobile phones in schools. The new $3.5 million program will be bolstered by the creation of digital literacy resources, designed to guide students and families alike through the challenges of the online space.
In addition to resources in schools, the program will provide fact sheets and a dedicated website, helping parents better understand how to manage their children’s online presence.
Parents have long expressed concerns over the growing influence of social media on their children, with many feeling powerless in the face of tech giants. To address this, the Victorian Government will collaborate with the Commonwealth and other states to push for national age limits, ensuring young children aren’t exposed to social media platforms prematurely.
But it doesn’t stop with age limits. Social media is an unavoidable part of life, and the government’s focus is on equipping young adults with the right tools to safely navigate these platforms, even after they surpass any proposed restrictions.
The online survey, which runs until 1 November, is hosted at engage.vic.gov.au/safesocials and is open for all to participate. Alongside this, the consultation will include a series of roundtable discussions, led by Parliamentary Secretaries Nathan Lambert and Nina Taylor. These discussions will involve key stakeholders, aiming to reflect the diverse perspectives across the Victorian community.
The feedback collected from this process will play a key role in shaping not only the state’s social media policies but also the Commonwealth’s national laws on age limits for social media use.
Premier Jacinta Allan highlighted the importance of listening to the community, “Parents—and young people—always tell me they’re worried about social media, but they feel powerless against the social media tsunami.”
Minister for Education Ben Carroll pointed to Victoria’s leadership in tackling mobile phone use in schools, adding, “We’re now consulting on how to best protect our students from the harms of social media—and developing resources to provide teachers with high-quality, best practice materials to teach digital literacy and safety.”
Minister for Youth Natalie Suleyman also weighed in, noting the double-edged nature of social media, “There are benefits to social media, but when it comes to kids and young people, the bad often outweighs the good. Age limits will give parents the power to push back against the tech giants, and Safe Socials will help kids old enough to sign up know how to use it safely.”
The effort marks a decisive move towards tackling the complex challenges posed by social media, ensuring that young people are better protected as they navigate the digital landscape. With voices from across Victoria being invited to share their thoughts, the future of social media safety will be shaped by the very people most affected by it—parents, teachers, and young people themselves.
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