ELECTRIC shock therapy on young children will be banned and psychiatrists could be jailed for carrying out the controversial treatment on teenagers and adults without strict legal checks, under proposed legislation.

Under a review of Victoria's Mental Health Act, new legislation has been drafted that would outlaw electroconvulsive therapy, also known as ECT, for children aged 12 and under.

Electric shock therapy machines. Credit:Brendan Read

Doctors would still be able to use it on 13 to 17-year-olds without their parents' consent if they can convince a mental health tribunal that all other treatment options have been exhausted.

The same rules will apply to adults, with the final decision on whether to use shock therapy taken out of psychiatrists' hands and given to the tribunal. Doctors who breach the laws will face up to a year in jail.