Controversial comedian Russell Brand has brutally mocked Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over the government’s bold plan to ban children from social media.
Mr Albanese announced on Thursday the government would introduce laws to prevent Australian children under 16 from using many popular online apps.
‘Social media is doing harm to our kids, and I’m calling time on it,’ Mr Albanese said at a press conference outside of Parliament House.
The British stand-up comedian, 49, who hosts a webcast called ‘Stay Free with Russell Brand’ claimed to viewers the move was an act of ‘legitimising mass censorship’.
‘In Australia, social media is being incredibly restricted – under 16s won’t be allowed on it,’ Brand said on the video posted to Rumble.
He said ‘as a parent’ he could see how preventing children from accessing social media might ‘in some ways be sensible on the surface’.
But then questioned whether ‘at some point’ the laws would be used to introduce more widespread rules on other parts of the population.
‘Do you reckon across the world they are going ”oh no, we don’t want another Trump” let’s start legitimising mass censorship of social media, first of all by protecting children, then by protecting adults, who really are just furry children?’
Brand has two million followers on his Rumble page, which is an alternative to YouTube that rose in popularity in the last four years when prominent conservatives began flocking to it after complaining they were being censored on other platforms.
Rumble’s cloud service business hosts Donald Trump’s ‘Truth Social’ platform.
British comedian Russell Brand has taken aim (pictured) at Anthony Albanese over his social media ban for children, questioning whether it was a ploy to ‘legitimise censorship’
Mr Albanese said the government’s decision was informed by the conversations he had with ‘thousands of parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles.
‘They, like me, are worried sick about the safety of kids online and I want parents and families to know the government has your back,’ he said.
Brand ruthlessly mocked the PM’s accent and suggested talking to real Australians, even if it was in the thousands, did not represent everyone’s views.
‘I spoke to an aunty and uncle earlier today ,’ Brand said mimicking Mr Albanese.
‘They’re terrified their children might be on social media.
‘I spoke to one Scrooge Mcduck who was terrified that Huey, Dewy and Louie could be influenced into thinking anything other than the opinions sanctioned by the state.’
During the next three minutes Brand went on to suggest the government were ‘going to be all over’ what people do.
Brand did acknowledge it was parents’ ‘job’ to protect their children but argued this didn’t mean governments can impose rules on its citizens that ‘affect the vast population.
‘Particularly if they are controlled by global cartels,’ Brand said.
Brand mocked Mr Albanese (pictured) over the concerns he said were raised by parents about their children’s social media use
The federal government revealed in September that they were considering a limit on the use of apps such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for children under the age of 16.
The ban is likely to apply to these platforms and others including YouTube and Reddit, however, some apps like YouTube Kids and those with an educational aspect would be exempt.
The ban gained momentum after it was backed by child safety experts and the Coalition.
The legislation to impose the mandate is likely to come into effect next year as the bill needs to pass the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Details on how the ban will be enforced is still unclear however, the responsibility to ensure social media companies comply with age restriction limits is likely to fall under the office of the eSafety commissioner.
Parents and young people will be exempt for not taking reasonable steps to prevent children and teenagers from accessing the platforms.
Federal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland labelled the measures ‘world leading’.
Ms Rowland said the laws would be designed to prevent ‘harms caused by content and addictive behaviours’ brought about by social media use.
The government argues the ban is necessary as social media is affecting the mental health of children and teenagers in a negative way.
Anthony Albanese announced on Thursday the government would introduce laws to ban children under the age of 16 from using the popular online apps (pictured stock image)
Brand has been active on Rumble despite him facing a number of accusations about his behaviour towards women in the past.
London’s Metropolitan Police detectives last Saturday said they had handed a file of evidence to the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service, which is considering charging Brand over historic sexual assault allegations.
Less than 48 hours later he travelled from his Oxfordshire home to London’s Heathrow Airport and on to Florida by Monday morning, where he is currently staying at one of Walt Disney World’s luxurious hotels with his wife and children.
Brand this week travelled from London’s Heathrow Airport to Florida where he is staying at one of Walt Disney World’s most luxurious hotels with his wife Laura (pictured) and children
A source said: ‘Obviously Russell was all over the news [in the UK] last weekend because of the police investigation into him, and two days later he’s left the country.
‘He obviously wants to get away from all the noise around him and spend some time with the family – he’s treated his wife Laura and their three kids to an amazing holiday, the full Disney experience, we don’t know how long he plans to stay there.’
The Met police said it had received ‘a number of allegations of sexual offences in London’ and elsewhere in the U.K. following a joint investigation into Brand by Channel 4 Dispatches, The Times and Sunday Times in September 2023.
Brand has denied the allegations which concern the period from 2006 to 2013 when he was at the height of his fame.
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