Australia will move to ban social media for children aged under 16, with the prime minister declaring he was “calling time” on the harm caused to young people.

Anthony Albanese announced on Thursday the government had agreed on Monday to introduce a minimum age for social media access. 

“Social media is doing harm to our kids, and I’m calling time on it,” he said.

The prime minister said the proposal would go to a virtual meeting of the nation’s leaders on Friday.

“The onus will be on social media platforms to demonstrate they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access,” he said.

“The onus won’t be on parents or young people. There will be no penalties for users.”

He said the eSafety Commissioner will provide oversight and enforcement, with the legislation to kick in 12 months after it passes parliament.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland described the proposed laws as world leading.

“At arriving at this age, the government has taken a pragmatic approach,” she said.

“What our approach does is helps to achieve a balance between minimising those harms that are caused by young people accessing social media, while still enabling connection and inclusion.”

The government will introduce privacy protections for information collected for age assurance purposes.

This post was originally published on Michael West.