EXCLUSIVE
Kyle Sandilands has criticized Anthony Albanese for his divisive new restrictions on social media, insisting it is not the Prime Minister’s job to tell parents how to raise their children.
The top-rated radio king and new dad told Daily Mail Australia the government should stop wasting time with its ill-conceived ‘nanny state’ legislation – including banning social media under 16s and so-called ‘misinformation’ – laws.
Instead, he said the Prime Minister should force social media companies to take full responsibility for “rooting out evil on their platforms.”
“I absolutely want children to be protected, I don’t want a single child to be bullied, but a ban on social media is not the way to tackle that,” he said.
‘I don’t understand why the government suddenly thinks it has to raise people’s children for them.
“It should be parents who decide which social media platforms their children use.”
Sandilands’ blunt assessment comes after the Albanian government submitted the controversial legislation to parliament on Thursday.
Radio titan Kyle Sandilands has warned Anthony Albanese that it is not his job to tell parents how to raise their children and says the government’s ill-conceived age restrictions on social media should be fully investigated before being rushed through the Senate
Anthony Albanese is friends with Kyle Sandilands and has even met his young son Otto, but that hasn’t stopped the radio star from giving a brutal assessment of his proposed laws.
If the new laws are passed, children under the age of 16 will no longer use Snapchat, Facebook, TikTok,
Under the world-first proposal, social media sites will face fines of up to $50 million for failing to take “reasonable steps” to keep minors off their platforms – although details on how the ban would be effectively implemented are scarce.
Although Sandilands’ hit Kyle and Jackie O breakfast show is known for its fast-paced comedy. He said it was important to stop and have a serious conversation about the bills before they are pushed through the Senate.
He said he appreciated the motivation behind the laws, but cautioned against telling teenagers what they can and cannot do simply allow internet-savvy young people to secretly access the sites.
“While I understand they want these laws to protect those who have succumbed to the dark side of social media, the social media companies themselves must be responsible for rooting out the evil on their platforms,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Restrictions on social media only encourage children to seek out what is forbidden and interact with it in an unregulated and secretive way.
‘Every child knows how to use a VPN. Any type of ban is absolutely useless.
“The solution is to hold the actual social media companies accountable for what is on their platforms.
Albanian at Sandilands’ wedding to radio co-star Jackie O
The popular breakfast radio king says the proposed age restrictions will simply force internet-savvy minors to ignore the laws and secretly access social media sites
“If these companies can get richer by advertising to Australians, they can also protect Australian children from bullying and scams.
“There needs to be more focus on social media companies properly monitoring their platforms and less on Australians being told what they can and cannot do.
‘Why are 16 and 17 year olds exempt from these laws? They are still just as vulnerable as minors as anyone else.”
The radio and television star has long been a friend of the Prime Minister, with the Albanian even attending his star-studded wedding to Tegan Kynaston last year, with whom Sandilands shares a beautiful young son, Otto.
Despite his close relationship with the country’s leader, Sandilands has not been afraid to criticize his government over the ban on social media, nor over the proposed ‘disinformation laws’, warning that they risked undermining the right to freedom of expression of putting ordinary Australians at risk.
That legislation will allow the Australian Communications and Media Authority to impose huge fines on social media companies that fail to adequately crack down on users who post “misinformation” and “disinformation” on their pages.
“Disinformation laws sound like a great idea as a headline, but when you look at it, who actually decides what disinformation is?” Sandilands told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Many issues are not just black and white. All issues require healthy and respectful debate, and should not be closed off by laws that suppress freedom of expression.
‘Sharing information is how we all grow as people.’
Sandilands’ views are supported by the Australian Human Rights Commission, which has also raised concerns about the scope of the Albanian government’s social media restrictions.
“Given the potential for these laws to significantly affect the rights of children and young people, the Commission has serious reservations about the proposed ban on social media,” the report said in a statement.
‘The ban on social media is intended to protect children and young people from online harm and the negative impact social media has on their well-being.
“However, such a ban on social media is also likely to have negative consequences for the human rights of children and young people.
‘There are arguments for and against the introduction of a ban on social media for young people under the age of 16. While a ban can help protect children and young people from online harm, it will also restrict important human rights.
“Based on currently available information, the Australian Human Rights Commission has serious concerns about the proposed ban on social media for children under the age of 16.”
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland introduced the bill in the House of Representatives on Thursday, saying the laws would help parents resist their children’s desire to access social media.
“The legislation that the Albanian government has put forward is, at its most fundamental level, about helping families as they sit around the kitchen table and have a difficult conversation about access to social media,” she said.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland will introduce the divisive bill on Thursday
“Our laws will empower parents to say no.”
Opposition communications spokesman David Coleman offered bipartisan support for the bill, describing that “the safety of Australian children online on social media is one of the defining issues of our time.”
“It has tremendous significance for our community,” he said.
“For too long, social media companies have abdicated their responsibility to care for Australian children.”