Australia is considering requiring social media platforms to act to prevent online harm to users, such as bullying, predatory behavior and algorithms pushing destructive content, the government said.

“The digital duty of care will place responsibility on digital platforms to proactively keep Australians safe and better prevent harm online,” Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said.

The proposed changes to the Online Safety Act were announced before the government presents world-first legislation to Parliament next week that would ban children under 16 from accessing platforms such as X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Critics have argued that removing children from social media reduces platforms’ incentive to provide safer online environments.

Social media has been blamed for an increase in children committing suicide and developing eating disorders due to bullying and exposure to negative body images.

Ms Rowland said making tech companies legally responsible for the safety of Australians was an approach already taken by Britain and the European Union.

Digital businesses would be required to take reasonable steps to prevent foreseeable harm to their platforms and services. The duty of care framework would be underpinned by risk assessment and mitigation, and informed by security by design principles, the minister said.

Legislating a duty of care would mean that services cannot “set it and forget it”. Instead, their obligations would mean they would have to continually identify and mitigate potential risks, as technology and service offerings change and evolve, she said.

Categories of harm in the legislation include harm to young people and mental wellbeing, promotion of harmful practices and illegal activities.

The government has not said when the duty of care legislation would be presented to Parliament or specified the penalties for breaches.

The Digital Industry Group, an advocate for Australia’s digital industry, better known as DIGI, has welcomed the government’s efforts to “future-proof” the Online Safety Act.

“DIGI members together represent some of the safest sections of the Internet, and their work to ensure the safety of people using their services never stops,” said CEO Sunita Bose.

“While we await further details on this announcement, DIGI members will continue to ensure security by design of their services and work constructively with the Government to keep Australians safe online,” Ms Bose added.

Belinda Barnet, digital media expert at Swinburne University, described duty of care as a “great idea”.

“It is entirely innovative to expect platforms that host Australian users to have a duty of care in terms of the content they distribute and the experiences they provide,” Ms Barnet said.

“This requires platforms to take responsibility, which is simply not the case at the moment. It is assumed that this is a neutral third party. They are not responsible for the impact of this content,” Ms Barnet added.