Aussies weigh in on what age kids should be allowed social media

There are plenty of big problems parents are facing right now, but one of the trickiest ones to tackle is social media, particularly what age should you let your kids onto it. 
We all know how damaging it can be and there are plenty of calls for a social media age limit, something the Albanese Government is looking at.
No age limit has been set but the government believes age assurance technology it’s trialling could be used to set one between 13 and 16. Most big social media companies don’t let children under 13 sign up but the restrictions are trivial to get around.
It’s a very hot topic for parents and unsurprisingly, an exclusive Nine.com.au poll revealed most people would like to see the age raised. 
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When it comes to social media, 34 per cent of readers believe that the right age for kids to get social media is 16. 
Unsurprisingly there were zero people who think that children under 10 should have social media. 
For most social media platforms, the minimum age to sign up is 13, but of the readers surveyed, only 10 per cent think that’s the right age to allow them to have it.
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From there, 14 per cent agreed that age 14 was when kids should have social media, while 20 per cent believe that it should be age 15. 
When it comes to the late teen years, only 2 per cent of readers thought that age 17 is when kids should be allowed social media. 
But there were 16 per cent of readers who would like to see kids not being allowed to have social media until age 18. 
On Monday Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government was listening to parents’ concerns and determined to take the right approach.
“We know that technology moves fast. No Government is going to be able to protect every child from every threat – but we have to do all we can,” he said.
“Parents are worried sick about this. We know they’re working without a map – no generation has faced this challenge before.”
Children across Australia will be banned from social media if the Federal Government’s plan to legislate a minimum age is passed by Parliament.
His announcement follows South Australia’s move on Sunday to ban social media for under 14s.
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Nova’s Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli and Rob Galluzzo have been pushing hard with their 36 Months campaign to raise the minimum age to 16.
“If we’re going to act and change legislation, let’s not shift it by one year to the right. It’s a watered-down execution on what should be a courageous course of action,” Wippa said of the Prime Minister’s plan.
“Let’s do this properly. It must be 16 to give our kids time to get to know themselves before the rest of the world does.”
Data shows social media has been linked to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, cyberbullying, self-harm and suicide, especially during the critical phase of psychological development – those 36 months between ages 13 to 16.
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