Thirteen is too young to be on social media. We have an idea to fix that

Have you ever heard the sound of 100,000 people screaming at once? A full house for the umpire’s first bounce at the start of a thrilling grand final at the MCG, or the moment Taylor Swift walks onstage. It’s a sound like no other.

More than 100,000 Australians have so far signed the 36 Months petition to raise the age children can join social media from 13 to 16 – a 36-month difference. At present, there is no minimum age requirement under Australian law to access social media, but kids are supposed to be at least 13 to join a global social network.

Girls are more likely to look at social media online, which is directly correlated with their increasing anxiety levels.Credit: Istock

This is to align with the US federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, accepted worldwide, as the age from which a child can “consent” for privacy purposes. Considering that the original “adolescents” the act was designed to protect are now 24 years old, this dated and unenforceable act might be considered redundant. After all, Facebook was created in 2004, Instagram in 2010, Snapchat in 2011 and TikTok in 2016.

Rob Galluzzo and I, both dads, launched 36 Months – a social initiative to highlight the desperate need for change.

Like many other concerned parents, we’re alarmed by the scale of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children. About one in eight children worldwide (approximately 302 million children) have been victims of non-consensual taking and sharing of, or exposure to, sexual images and videos in the past year. This includes “sextortion”, whereby predators demand money to keep images private. One in nine men in the US and 7.5 per cent of Australian men, according to research published by the Australian Human Rights Institute at the University of NSW, have admitted to online sexual offending against children.

Rising social media use has also been associated with increasing cyberbullying and deliberate self-harm, especially in young women.

As respected US commentator Professor Scott Galloway recently said on this topic: “We will look back at this time and say – what did we do to our kids?”

Imagine a product, let’s say a shampoo, which, when used by children, caused half of them to become depressed, to self-harm, to develop an eating disorder, or to become suicidal. It would be ripped from the shelves, the owners locked away with blood on their hands. I wish I could say I’m exaggerating, but the harsh reality is that children under 16 are not yet ready to navigate social media safely.

The many conversations around smartphones, social media, gaming, screen time, internet usage and parental control are extremely layered and require debate. Rightly so.

Unfortunately, some parents don’t or can’t control screen time so they feel powerless against the power of social media. The UK’s Office of Communications has warned social media giants they could be named, shamed and banned for under-18s if they fail to comply with new draft online safety rules. Some US states now require parental approval for under-16s to join. In Utah, it’s 18.

As a positive, I recognise the role smartphones play in everyday life; I’m on social media and see its power as a tool, creating opportunities, connections and entertainment.

It’s not as simple as delaying smartphone access until age 16. Many young people have a legitimate need for these devices.

Rob and I are very clear in our mission: we are urging the government to raise the age for social media citizenship from 13 to 16 to use those extra 36 months to educate and empower, and I believe we will.

Both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton have expressed their support on our radio show. The PM stated, “I’m very supportive of the work that is taking place and I would encourage people to go to 36months.com.au”. Dutton said if he won the next election, he would “get it done in the first 100 days”.

NSW Premier Chris Minns also labelled social media “a giant, global social experiment on young people that’s completely unregulated” and “at its worst, having a terrible impact on young minds”.

On a global scale, Australia can now play a leading role, but we can’t ignore the opportunity to mandate raising the age at which children can join social media from 13 to 16.

Consider how we can use those extra 36 months – to build our kids’ self-esteem, compassion and resilience through real-life experiences, a solid sense of belonging, and help them understand cyber safety with a set of applicable skills.

Let’s give our teenagers an extra 36 months to get to know themselves before the rest of the world does.

Michael “Wippa” Wipfli is a radio presenter and comedian. He is part of Nova’s Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie radio program.