The South Australian government has proposed tough new laws that could result in jail time for those who post or share online violent or illegal acts. 

Under the legislation introduced today, anyone posting or sharing violent or illegal acts on social media could face up to two years in prison regardless of whether anyone in the post was charged.

Attorney-general Kyam Maher stopped short of blaming a rise in youth crime for the laws. 

“I think we are seeing stupid people do this across the board,” he said. 

“People are doing really stupid things in cars or fights on streets and glorifying that sort of behaviour.”

The “post and boast” legislation takes into consideration the rights of victims, seeking to protect them from the trauma of reliving their experiences through the circulation of illegal content. 

Exemptions will be in place for sharing material for legitimate public purposes.

The state government is expected to pass the legislation by mid-year.