‘Inspiring’: PM praises 12-year-old social media ban advocate Flossie and shows off new friendship bracelet

Anthony Albanese has proudly showed off a new friendship bracelet from 12-year-old student Flossie Brodribb, saying her advocacy of the government’s impending ban on social media for children under the age of 16 was “inspiring”.

The prime minister met with Flossie, her mother Romany Brodribb and neuroscientist Dr Lila Landowski in Canberra on Thursday, where Flossie handed him the bracelet.

Flossie has investigated the impacts of social media on childhood development and has become a keen advocate for the ban.

Mr Albanese, speaking in Question Time, said the ban would get Australian children “offline and into life” and said Flossie’s work to encourage other children to embrace life away from devices was “quite extraordinary”.

“This is a social change backed by both sides of this parliament that has come from the bottom up,” he said.

“It’s come from parents who have lost their sons and daughters but has also come from young people like Flossie who is out there with her peers saying get engaged in sport, get engaged in music, get engaged in reading, get engaged in communicating with each other in order to benefit your life, not just in the period in which you don’t turn, until you turn 16 but so that your life is better on the way through.

“Because Flossie has investigated what the neurological impact is of social media and the harm that it does and is an articulate, inspiring advocate and on behalf of this parliament, I think everyone in this parliament, I say thank you for the work you are doing in the leadership you are giving to young Australians.”

The ban, legislated in 2024, comes into effect on December 10.

The legislation forces tech platforms to verify the age of their users and to refuse access to those below the age of 16.

Major platforms including Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat and X are captured by the ban.

If tech companies fail to comply, they could be hit with fines up to $49.5 million.

The ban follows a concerted push from psychologists and parents’ groups concerned about social media’s grip on children.

At a hearing last year before the passage of the laws, Australian Parents Council vice-president Karen Robertson said “swift and meaningful” reform was needed to give children a “life beyond screens”.

“We’ve lost the power to parent,” she said.

“Tech companies now own our children.”

On Thursday, Mr Albanese expressed confidence the ban would be successful and stressed it had come from “the bottom up” rather than a top-down government edict.

“This isn’t a debate that comes from the top down,” he told the ABC.

“This is a debate that has come from the bottom, from people, from parents – tragically, some who have lost their sons and daughters.

“So this isn’t a debate that’s come from government making a decision and then telling the community, ‘This is what must happen,’ it’s the reverse here.

“This is the community demanding an appropriate government response and demanding that social media companies show social responsibility.”

Last month, Communications Minister Anika Wells said the new laws would not “mean perfection, but they will mean a significant and meaningful difference”.

“They will spread cultural change across 13-16 year-olds in this country,” she said.

“Unfortunately, seven out of 10 young Aussies have seen things online that they shouldn’t have, that has done them harm.

“That statistic is too horrifying to ignore and so we have acted.”