Russell Brand mocks Anthony Albanese over plans to ban teens from social media: ‘Mass censorship’

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 the age of 16 from using many popular online apps.

“Social media is harming our children, and I am making time for that,” Albanese said at a news conference outside Parliament House.

The British stand-up comedian, 49, who hosted a webcast titled “Stay Free with Russell Brand,” claimed to viewers that the move was an act of “legitimizing mass censorship.”

“In Australia, social media is incredibly restricted – under 16s are not allowed there,” Brand said in the video posted to Rumble.

He said that “as a parent” he could see how preventing children from accessing social media “might be sensible on the face of it in some respects”.

But then questioned whether the laws would be used “at some point” to introduce broader rules for other parts of the population.

“Do you think around the world they are saying, ‘oh no, we don’t want another Trump’, let’s start legitimizing mass censorship on social media, first by protecting children, and then by protecting adults, who actually only hairy children?’

Brand has two million followers on his Rumble page, a YouTube alternative that has risen in popularity over the past four years as prominent conservatives flocked to it after complaining about being censored on other platforms.

Rumble’s cloud services company hosts Donald Trump’s ‘Truth Social’ platform.

Mr Albanese said the government’s decision was inspired by conversations he had with “thousands of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles.”

“They, like me, are concerned about the safety of children online and I want parents and families to know that the government has your back,” he said.

Brand mercilessly mocked the Prime Minister’s accent and suggested talking to real Australians, even if there were thousands of them, this did not represent everyone’s views.

“I was talking to an aunt and uncle earlier today,” Brand said, imitating Mr. Albanese.

“They’re terrified that their kids are on social media.

“I spoke to a Scrooge McDuck who was terrified that Huey, Dew and Louie could be influenced to think anything other than the opinions approved by the state.”

Over the next three minutes, Brand suggested that the government was going to “control everything” that people do.

Brand did acknowledge that it was the “job” of parents to protect their children, but argued that this did not mean that governments can impose rules on their citizens that “affect the general population.”

“Especially when they are controlled by global cartels,” Brand said.

The federal government announced in September that it was considering a restriction on the use of apps such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for children under the age of 16.

The ban will likely apply to these platforms and others including YouTube and Reddit, but some apps such as YouTube Kids and apps with an educational aspect would be exempt.

The ban gained momentum after receiving support from child safety experts and the coalition.

Legislation to impose the mandate will likely come into effect next year as the bill still needs to be passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Details on how the ban will be enforced are still unclear. The responsibility for ensuring that social media companies adhere to age restrictions will likely fall under the eSafety Commissioner.

Parents and young people will be excused from failing to take reasonable steps to prevent children and teenagers from accessing the platforms.

Federal Minister of Communications Michelle Rowland described the measures as ‘world leading’.

Ms Rowland said the laws are intended to prevent “harm caused by content and addictive behaviour” caused by the use of social media.

The government states that the ban is necessary because social media negatively affects the mental health of children and teenagers.

Brand has been active on Rumble despite facing a number of accusations in the past about his behavior towards women.

Detectives from London’s Metropolitan Police said last Saturday they had handed over a file of evidence to Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service, which is considering charging Brand with historical sexual abuse allegations.

Less than 48 hours later, he traveled from his home in Oxfordshire to London’s Heathrow Airport and on Monday morning to Florida, where he is currently staying with his wife and children at one of Walt Disney World’s luxury hotels.

A source said: ‘It’s understood Russell was all over the news (in Britain) last weekend because of the police investigation into him, and two days later he left the country.

‘He clearly wants to get away from all the noise around him and spend some time with the family – he has treated his wife Laura and their three children to an amazing holiday, the full Disney experience, we don’t know how long he plans to to stay. stay there.’

The Met Police said it had received ‘a number of allegations of sexual offenses in London’ and elsewhere in Britain following a joint investigation into Brand by Channel 4 Dispatches, The Times and Sunday Times in September 2023.

Brand has denied the allegations relating to the period from 2006 to 2013, when he was at the height of his fame.