Absurd moment minister issues drastic warning to LINKEDIN over kids’ social media ban – and there’s bad news for teenagers who thought they’d found a way around it
The minister responsible for the Albanese government’s under-16s social media ban has taken the extraordinary step of warning she is prepared to use her powers against job-hunting website LinkedIn.
Australia’s under-16 social media ban comes into force on December 10, with accounts belonging to under-16s to be deactivated on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X and YouTube.
But there is already evidence tech-savvy teens are finding their way around the ban by migrating to other messaging apps, with little known messaging app Lemon8 surging up the most-downloaded list this week.
Communications Minister Anika Wells on Tuesday said all platforms are ‘on notice’ that the government can designate other platforms – giving LinkedIn as an example.
‘LinkedIn is currently an exempt platform,’ Wells said on Tuesday.
‘But if everybody ends up on LinkedIn, and LinkedIn becomes a place where there is online bullying, algorithms targeting 13 to 16-year-olds in a way that’s deteriorating their mental and physical health, then we will go after LinkedIn.’
LinkedIn is a professional networking site primarily used for job searching, recruiting, and career development, and its core purpose is not social interaction.
With the legal working age in Australia set at 14, LinkedIn often attracts older teens seeking part-time jobs or internships.
Anika Wells (pictured) said LinkedIn could be added to the under-16 social media ban
The warning comes as the government braces for what Wells calls ‘migratory patterns’ teens determined to keep their digital lives alive despite the sweeping ban.
Wells stressed exemptions given to apps are not permanent and will be reviewed if platforms shift their primary purpose.
Authorities fear Lemon8 – a TikTok linked photo and video sharing platform – and Yope will be the next refuge for under-16s.
‘If we find that because they’ve been locked out of Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, what have you, they end up on Lemon8, then we will look at whether the harm has transferred there and whether we need to add them to the list,’ Wells said in Adelaide.
‘We’ll have more to say about Lemon8 this week, so stay tuned.’
Currently, several platforms remain exempt from the ban, including Discord, GitHub, Google Classroom, LEGO Play, Messenger, Pinterest, Roblox, Steam, WhatsApp, YouTube Kids, and LinkedIn.
Wells and Julie Inman-Grant (pictured) will monitor ‘migration patterns’ of social media users
LinkedIn is currently exempt from the under-16s social media ban, but could be added
But Wells made clear the government will act quickly if any platform becomes a breeding ground for bullying or harmful algorithms targeting teens.
‘That’s what big tech is like,’ she said. ‘We have to be agile and dynamic.’
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant echoed the warning, saying the list will be updated based on each platform’s primary purpose – citing the example of Americans moving to the Chinese app ‘Rednote’ when TikTok was temporarily banned.
But not everyone is convinced the ban will work, and some are preparing to fight it in court.
Sydney high school student Noah Jones, 15, is launching a High Court challenge against the Albanese government, arguing the ban violates his right to free expression.
‘As a free Australian I should be able to express myself and in the modern world, that’s online through social media,’ Noah told the Daily Mail.
‘Kids will still use social media but in secret and they are (in) more danger by being scared of getting into trouble for using socials after the ban so they won’t report bullies or predators.’
Noah, who turns 16 next August, said his friends plan to bypass restrictions by creating fake profiles on other platforms.
Noah Jones (right) has launched a High Court challenge against the teen social media ban
‘Nearly everyone I know intends to get around the ban but not tell their parents,’ he said, adding he is ‘very confident’ in his legal challenge.
‘Democracy doesn’t start at 16 on your birthday.’
His mother, Renee Jones, a former teacher turned lawyer, slammed the government’s approach.
‘We have deliberately raised these children to be digitally aware,’ she said.
‘I’ve heard Noah and his friends talk about, “Why are we being punished? We’re not the ones doing the wrong thing?”‘
