Anthony Albanese backs campaign to ban children under 16 from social media

Anthony Albanese says he supports banning access to social media for children under 16 years old. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Anthony Albanese has endorsed a campaign to ban children from registering social media accounts until they are 16, saying too much online engagement at a young age is seriously damaging their mental health.

The prime minister is backing moves to raise the minimum age for registering social media accounts from 13 to 16 to give teenagers extra time to grow without being subjected to social pressures that can be exacerbated online.