Interview with Jaynie Seal, Sky Weekend Newsday - Social media ban - 30 November 2025

Melissa McIntosh MP  
Shadow Minister for Communications  
Shadow Minister for Women  
Federal Member for Lindsay  

30 November 2025 

Transcript  

Sky News Weekend Newsday  

Topics: Under 16s social media ban  

E&EO …  

Jaynie Seal   

Well, Australia's ban on social media for under 16s will commence on the 10th of December, not long to go now. The Australian newspaper has an exclusive article by editor at large, Paul Kelly, today, and he spoke to American social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, who spoke about the social media ban being, quote, the most important single piece of legislation ever enacted on planet Earth, and these laws were what the world desperately needs to do. Well for more, joining us live is Shadow Communications Minister Melissa McIntosh. Thank you very much for joining us this Sunday. So, the article also brought up about the impact this ban will have on shaping Australia and other countries across the world. Regardless of how successful the ban is going to be, what is the government prepared for if we do see negative outcomes? 

Melissa McIntosh   

Thanks for having me on this afternoon from the best community in the country. I want this to work on behalf of the Coalition. We've supported this piece of legislation, it was actually the Coalition that conceptualised it. My concerns from probably, pretty much since coming into this shadow communications portfolio has been the poor rollout by the government. Only a week or so ago, another platform was in. We're hearing a lot of confusion amongst families across the country, and then quite recent revelations that people could be compelled to use digital ID. So, we've gone from really wanting the strong intent to protect kids, and I acknowledge the comments in that article, because we do want it to work, but just because we have a desire for it to work for Australian children does not mean that the government is doing the right thing when it comes to the rollout and ensuring that it does work, and the intent is about protecting kids. 

Jaynie Seal   

And I recognise, of course, that you're in opposition, but again, it is what the government is bringing forward. And you know, we really need to look at the ramifications, don't we, because the bans come in during the school holidays, there are vulnerable people, including people in regional and rural Australia cut off from their main ways of communicating. And if we look at some of the surveys, for example, the organization, WhyNot, reported a survey of 88% of people who believe that the social media ban will be detrimental to our neurodivergent youth. So what do you say to those numbers? 

Melissa McIntosh   

Yeah, and that's right, and people have a right to be concerned, and that's why I've been so strong in pressuring the government on this. And every time you pressure, then you get told that you don't care about the kids. We desperately care about Australian children. That's why the government should be doing everything it can. And mental health organisations have come to me about their concerns around whether enough has been done to protect vulnerable children from other harms, the unintended consequences. And we know that technology is emerging so quickly. When you hear about kids having best friends as AI bots, that is such disturbing stuff. So it can't be 'okay, the ban is in place, big tick to the Albanese Labor government,' and nothing else needs to be done. I'll be keeping a really strong eye on what's going on in this rollout and its effectiveness and whether kids are actually being protected. What constitutes success in this regard, I haven't heard from the government, what success means. How many kids will offline, how many kids will be protected, and what do they plan to do if kids do get around it and there are unintended consequences? 

Jaynie Seal   

And I guess many parents would welcome less screen time, would you say across the board, regardless of what they're looking at on their devices? What do we need to do, potentially, as parents as well? We hear the term 'monkey, see monkey do'. No doubt many of us adults are guilty of being on the phone as well, so regardless of even the social media bans, what about phone use in general? 

Melissa McIntosh   

Yeah, and that's right, and I think that's where there is parental responsibility as well in this. And parents have said to me some weeks ago that they didn't feel parents around the country were aware enough that it was coming, and even teachers and schools and kids themselves. But I think there is a role in parents ensuring that their kids, you know, are off inappropriate platforms, and those discussions around some of those gaming platforms as well, which we know can have, under the guise of being a kids gaming platform, they have inappropriate content, bullying, all sorts of harm going on. So, it is not just ‘set and forget, okay, your child's banned from platforms’. Now there is a parental responsibility role too, and I hope that the parents of Australia are having those discussions. It's hard. I've got teenage kids, and it doesn't matter how relentless you are in protecting them. Each day, you hear of other stories of bullying and harm online, no matter how much you're on top of this. So it is a very difficult issue, and when it comes to the social media ban, I truly hope that it does help Australian children. But the questions are still there, and those questions from parents that you mentioned are very warranted, when platforms are being dripped in, and the concerns amongst Australians now they may have to produce their driver's license or their birth certificate for age verification, that's just not on. 

Jaynie Seal   

Yeah, it's certainly not an easy solution, is it? But I think many people would be certainly wanting something to happen, and it's certainly a world first. So ten days to go. Melissa McIntosh, Shadow Communications Minister, thank you so much.  

Melissa McIntosh   

Thanks Jaynie.