Australia's Anika Wells makes Time100 list after social media ban fight
Australia's communications minister is cited for the under-16 social media ban, which critics say has failed
When time came calling, Anika Wells reached for a sports metaphor. "In Brisbane we know premierships are won by the whole team, not one player," Australia's communications minister told Guardian Australia. She also holds the sport portfolio.
The line deflects a big honour: Wells has made the Time100 list of "world's most influential rising stars".
Why did Anika Wells make the Time100 list?
Time credits her efforts in relation to the ban imposed on social media use in children under 16 in Australia. This ban became operational last year. Since then, similar bans have been enforced by other countries around Europe, Asia, and even certain US states.
When your own government is considering a ban like hers, it is watching her policy travel.
Former Labour prime minister Julia Gillard wrote Wells' testimonial. She called the reforms "world-leading" and predicted that future generations will see them as "courageous and trail-blazing".
The recognition arrives with doubts still hanging over the ban. Questions persist about its effectiveness and about how social media companies and regulators enforce it.
Shadow communications minister Sarah Henderson was blunt. Australians judge ministers "by their actions", she said, not by glossy magazine lists. She repeated her claim that the ban has "failed" and accused the government of seeking "draconian powers" over what Australians see online.
She is currently working on her digital duty of care framework, which is part of the wider reforms on online safety. It will allow people the freedom to opt out of those algorithms which put the dangerous and divisive content on their feeds.
Big tech companies and political rivals have already started opposing her.
She is not alone in getting a spot. Musicians Sombr and PinkPantheress are also there, along with footballer Folarin Balogun, US senator Andy Kim, Dutch prime minister Rob Jetten and Donald Trump's political advisor James Blair. Australian musician Troye Sivan also made the list, with a testimonial by Kylie Minogue.
Being included in the Time100 list is just one picture of her journey. Her bigger challenge will be when she makes it possible for the people to opt out of the algorithms.
