Australia’s Anika Wells named to TIME100 Next rising stars list

Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells has been named to Time magazine's 100 Next list of “the world's most influential rising stars”, after leading the government's efforts to restrict social-media access for children under 16.

Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells has been named to Time magazine’s 100 Next list of “the world’s most influential rising stars”, after leading the government’s efforts to restrict social-media access for children under 16.

Wells, who also holds the sport portfolio, told Guardian Australia that the recognition reflected a team effort, invoking a sports analogy.

“In Brisbane we know premierships are won by the whole team, not one player,” she said.

Time highlighted Wells’s role in Australia’s social-media minimum-age rules, which took effect in December 2025 and require age-restricted platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under 16 from creating or keeping accounts.

The Australian policy has attracted international attention, with governments elsewhere considering or introducing similar restrictions on children’s social-media use.

Former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard, who wrote Wells’s testimonial for the list, described her as a leading voice in efforts to protect young people from the harms of social media. Gillard said future generations would view Wells’s reforms as “courageous and trail-blazing”.

The recognition has also drawn criticism from political opponents.

Sarah Henderson, the opposition’s shadow communications minister, said Australians should judge ministers “by their actions” rather than magazine lists. She repeated her criticism that the social-media restrictions had “failed” and accused the government of seeking “draconian powers” over what Australians can say and see online.

The government disputes such criticism and has moved to strengthen enforcement of the minimum-age rules, including additional information-gathering powers for the eSafety Commissioner and higher penalties for companies that fail to comply.

Wells is also working on a proposed Digital Duty of Care framework as part of broader online-safety reforms. The proposal would allow users to opt out of algorithmic systems that push potentially harmful or divisive material into their feeds.

The proposal has drawn opposition from technology companies and political opponents, who have raised concerns about the scope of the government’s proposed regulatory powers.

Wells was among several political and cultural figures named on the TIME list, alongside musicians Sombr and PinkPantheress, footballer Folarin Balogun, US Senator Andy Kim, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten and Donald Trump adviser James Blair. Australian musician Troye Sivan was also included, with a testimonial by Kylie Minogue.

The TIME recognition gives Wells an international platform, while her government’s online-safety policies remain subject to political debate and scrutiny over their effectiveness and implementation.