The campaign that made Australia a world leader in protecting teens online
In 2024, radio host Michael "Wippa" Wipfli launched the 36 Months Campaign alongside Rob Galluzzo, founder of production company FINCH, with a simple but impactful goal: raise the minimum age for kids to access social media from 13 to 16. They started a petition on Change.org and saw it capture national media attention, supported by voices like Hamish Blake, parenting expert Maggie Dent, and Megan Gale.
“125 000+ signatures is an un-ignorable chorus of voices”
36 Months, petition starterThe message struck a national nerve. More than 127,000 Australians signed the petition, concerned about children being exposed to harmful content, online bullying, and addictive platforms before they're emotionally ready. Parents, teachers and even children themselves shared stories in the comments about how social media impacted their lives and the lives of those around them.
The campaign helped pave the way for groundbreaking, world-first legislation: in November 2024, the Australian Parliament passed new laws to ban social media access for children under 16. And that's not all - in September 2025, 36 Months headed to the UN General Assembly with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to share this campaign and the national legislation that it created with the world. Global leaders including Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission and Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic said they will be watching Australia closely as it takes the lead on the global issue of online safety for young people.
It started with a petition. It ended with a national law and a global conversation. All driven by over 127,000 Australians who raised their voice.
Check out the petition to see how it became so successful.