The federal government will launch another broad-ranging inquiry into big tech companies to ensure social media firms are “held accountable for their decisions”.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland and Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones announced late last week that the government would be moving to establish a Parliamentary Select Committee into the influence and impacts of social media on Australian society when Parliament sits this week.

There have been a number of parliamentary inquiries into big tech and social media firms in recent years, including looking at foreign influence online, the influence of international digital platforms, and tech sovereignty.

The new inquiry is in response to Facebook parent company Meta announcing it would not be renewing any of its financial deals with Australian media companies for the use of their content, and an ongoing dispute with X over the hosting of footage from the recent Wakeley stabbing incident.

The Labor government will consult across Parliament on the final terms of reference for the inquiry with referral expected this week.

“Social media is how millions of Australians connect, access news, and run small businesses,” Rowland said in a statement.

“These social media companies have enormous reach and control over what Australians see with little to no scrutiny.

“Parliament needs to understand how social media companies dial up and down the content that supports healthy democracies, as well as the anti-social content that undermines public safety.

“Establishing this inquiry will provide opportunity and resources for parliamentarians to closely scrutinise these companies and make recommendations on how we can make these platforms accountable for their decisions.”

The war on big tech continues

Included in the remit of the inquiry will be Meta’s decision to abandon previous deals under the News Media Bargaining Code, and the role that the presence of journalism on social media plays in countering misinformation and disinformation.

Meta announced earlier this year that it would not be entering in any new agreements with Australia media companies after its current deals, worth $70 million annually, come to an end.

“In our democracy, it is imperative that Australians have access to quality public interest journalism, including on social media,” Rowland said.

“Unilateral decisions to undermine news hurts us all. Social media companies have social responsibilities.

“They need to be more accountable and transparent.”

The inquiry will also likely look at algorithms, recommender systems and the corporate decision-making of digital platforms in influencing what Australian users see, and the impact of this on their mental health.

The dissemination of harmful and illegal content online will also be scrutinised.

This comes amid the government’s eSafety Commissioner’s ongoing legal battle with Elon Musk’s X over the hosting of footage from the Wakeley stabbing attack.

The removal of some news content and exposure to harmful content could “open the floodgates for misinformation and disinformation”, Jones said.

“We have a clear message for the platforms: be better. Do better,” Jones said.

“The committee will put big tech under the microscope to help create a safer online environment.”

SA looks to ban kids from social media

Meanwhile, the South Australian government has unveiled plans to ban children under the age of 14 years old from using social media at all, as ABC reported.

Under the plan, children aged 14 and 15 years old would need parental consent to have social media accounts, and anyone younger would be restricted from it.

The state government has appointed former High Court Chief Justice Robert French to look at potential pathways to impose this ban.

“Our kids are being harmed now, and there’s no time to waste,” South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said.

“I don’t want to sit around waiting for someone else. Let’s lead.

“The proliferation of social media is not just the concern about access to content that is not healthy, but even the excessive use of social media itself is attributable to mental illness.”