More than two-thirds of voters support raising the age limit for social media from 13 to 16, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll.
The poll of 1,160 voters, released on Tuesday, finds an increasing appetite for government regulation of hate speech, social media and artificial intelligence.
Peter Dutton slipped back into negative territory, with 42% of respondents disapproving of the job he was doing as opposition leader and 41% approving. Anthony Albanese is steady with 47% disapproving of his job as prime minister and 43% approving.
The poll found more than two-thirds (69%) wanted the age limit on social media to be raised from 13 to 16 years, with 44% strongly supporting the idea and 24% “somewhat” supporting it. Just 14% oppose the idea, and 17% neither support nor oppose it.
Almost half (47%) of respondents said technology companies including Meta, Google and TikTok had been “mostly negative” for young people, compared with 19% “mostly positive” and 34% neutral.
The Albanese government is currently testing technology for age verification. Dutton had promised to extend the trial from pornography to social platforms, but communications minister Michelle Rowland has confirmed both are already included in the trial.
Labor premiers are attracted to social media age limits, with South Australia’s Peter Malinauskas looking to legislate a limit of 14 and New South Wales’ Chris Minns supporting an age limit of 16.
Respondents were asked to select what age on a scale between 10 and 18 children should be able to do a range of activities.
On average, respondents thought children aged about 17-and-a-half should be able to buy and consume alcohol, vote in elections and access pornography. On average, 15.4 was the age at which children were thought ready to use social media; 14.3 was the age for children being held responsible for a crime.
Respondents were told “the government is currently developing new laws to protect people from hate speech” which “would make it a criminal offence to vilify someone based on their sex, sexuality, gender, race or religion”.
A total of 62% said they would support the proposal, either strongly (34%) or somewhat (28%). Just 17% opposed it, while about one in five (21%) were unsure.
The hate speech bill is expected to be introduced in August alongside laws banning doxing, the online exposure of a person’s private information without their consent. It has already proved a major flashpoint between Labor and the Coalition, with Dutton labelling the laws a “trap” and “wedge”.
A majority of respondents said they wanted to see safeguards for artificial intelligence including that: “businesses that introduce AI should have a legal duty to ensure that it is used safely” (78% agreed); “workers should be involved in designing how AI technology is introduced in their workplace” (62%); and “workers should be compensated when their work is used to train AI” (60%).
But respondents were less fearful of AI, with the proportion saying it “carries more risk than opportunity” at 42%, down three points from January. The proportion who said it carried “more opportunity than risk” was steady at 21%. Those who said risk and opportunity “are about the same” was up three points to 37%.
After the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, promised to introduce compulsory national service for 18-year-olds, respondents were told the plan “could include unpaid volunteer work one weekend a month doing community service” or a “paid full-time military placement”.
Half (51%) of respondents said they approved of “mandatory national service” in the form of full-time paid military service, compared with a quarter (25%) who opposed it. Unpaid volunteer work was less popular, with 46% in favour and 26% opposed.
Almost half (49%) of respondents said Australia was heading down the wrong track, down a point from when the question was asked in April, compared with about a third (34%) saying it was heading in the right direction, up a point.
• This article was amended on 4 June 2024. A previous version referred to full-time military service when the figures related to unpaid volunteer work.
