Australia’s government is set to pass groundbreaking legislation banning under-16s from access to social media in its final sitting week before the holiday recess.

The proposed laws follow crusading by News Corp Australia’s metro mastheads – through a ‘Let them be kids’ campaign launched in May – and appeals by its executive chairman Michael Miller.

Miller spoke on the subject to the National Press Club, as well as in a Seven documentary, calling for criminal sanctions including jail terms to support a “social licence”.

News has recently also been highly critical of former prime minister Kevin Rudd – who ran a petition calling for a royal commission into the Murdoch family’s domination of Australian media, prior to being appointed Australia’s ambassador to the US – and of the Albanese government for failing to designate Meta under the country’s News Media Bargaining Code.

The social media new laws – the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 – would allow the communications minister to determine later, which platforms are included in the ban and which are not, although Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and X, with message board Reddit also being mentioned.

Communications minister Michelle Rowland said the laws weren’t meant to apply to messaging services, such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, or Kids Helpline. There will also be some exemptions for products used for educational purposes such as YouTube or Google Classroom.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young (pictured) described the senate inquiry into the legislation as a sham, adding that the party was “distressed and frankly disgusted” by the time allocated for it, “three hours on Monday morning and that’s it,” she said.

Guardian Australia has reported that there have been more than 15,000 submissions about the legislation, while the News campaign was described as “a mix of stupidity and hypocrisy” by Eric Beecher’s Crikey website.

Additionally, a private member’s bill has been lodged by MP Zoe Daniel as “a better alternative”, requiring platforms to make their algorithms safer or faces large fines, gaining support from the Greens. The Guardian has also reported that Hanson-Young will move amendments to the social media ban bill to introduce a duty of care obligation.

Big Tech giants Google and Meta have said the legislation should be delayed until a trial of age-assurance technology is completed. Last year, shadow communications minister David Coleman introduced a private member's bill in an unsuccessful bid to compel the government to conduct a trial of online age verification.