Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Education Ben Carroll joined students and teachers at Mount Waverley Secondary College today to kick off an online survey giving parents, teachers and young people the opportunity to share their experiences and concerns about social media use.

Findings from the consultation process will then shape a new social media safety program, to be titled ‘Safe Socials’.

The consultation announcement follows thousands of NSW parents and teenagers highlighting social media’s negative impacts, including addiction and other harms, in a State Government survey involving 21,000 respondents. 

Six-in-seven respondents backed age restrictions for social media use, with 16 being the most suggested minimum age.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said on Friday parents are concerned about how social media is impacting the lives of young people.

“The huge response to this survey sends a powerful message about the extent of community concern,” he said.

“Parents and children are rightly concerned about this giant global unregulated experiment on young people.”

Allan said the Victorian program will be delivered in schools as a resource for students, teachers and families about how to navigate and live with social media.

“Parents – and young people – always tell me they’re worried about social media, but they feel powerless against the social media tsunami.

“That’s why we’re keeping kids off social media before they’re ready, and giving them the tools to stay safe online once they’re older.”

The Government says Safe Socials builds on the success of other education programs pioneered by the Labor Government, such as Safe Schools and Respectful Relationships, and the state’s Australian-first ban on mobile phones in schools.

A $3.5 million investment will support the Department of Education to develop the new digital literacy resources.

The program will also include a dedicated website and fact sheets to help parents and carers understand social media safety.

Carroll said Victoria led the nation by banning mobile phones in schools because it was clear the harm it was doing.

“...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,” he said.

Minister for Youth Natalie Suleyman said 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.”

Last week during the Social Media and Australian Society inquiry, federal MPs heard submissions from a wide range of parties, and while many parent groups and advocates, educators and others called for children to be banned from joining digital platforms, just as they are stopped from accessing alcohol or cigarettes, child advocates and mental health researchers raised concerns that it could lead to more harm being done to children without addressing the main drivers of the dangers they face on social media platforms.

Representatives from ReachOut, Headspace and Beyond Blue rejected proposals to raise age limits, and said the move would cause greater harm to children and give parents a false sense of security.

“[A ban] may leave some young people without any mental health support options, it may make them less likely to seek help when they need it and be less likely to tell an adult when things go wrong online,” ReachOut government relations director Ben Bartlett said.

While policies of both major political parties – federally, state and territory-based – now include banning children from social media, some researchers say plans do not seem to recognise the strong evidence for why such a ban at present is unworkable.

It's warned that any rushed or underdeveloped proposals are destined to run into a range of practical and conceptual issues, starting with the basic question of how such a ban would be implemented.

Such critics say any age verification process will inevitably hand more data to the social media platforms themselves, or to third-party providers handling the verification process, causing a range of privacy concerns.

Ultimately, it comes down to how children can be kept safe online — while still upholding their rights to information and education.

The solution is arguably far from clear.

The Vic Govt survey can be accessed here and will be open until November 1, with groups able to participate.

The consultation process will also include a series of roundtable discussions, led by the Parliamentary Secretary for Children, Nathan Lambert, and the Parliamentary Secretary for Education, Nina Taylor.