The Australian government has proposed a social media ban for children under 16, which experts say is a “significant step” as parents around the world call for greater regulation of technology companies.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said last week the bill would be introduced to parliament this year and take effect 12 months after it is approved by lawmakers.
The ban is expected to trial age verification systems to block children from accessing social media sites including Meta’s Instagram and Facebook, ByteDance’s TikTok and Elon Musk’s X.
Dany Elachi is Head-to-head allianceis an Australian organization that provides support to parents who have put off using smartphones and social media for their children. He told CNBC Make It that it was “very rewarding” to see their efforts finally recognized.
“For years, we have been derided by cybersecurity educators as being insular and extreme, but they have a vested interest in holding such positions. Many of them have ties to big tech companies,” Elage said.
“Parents at the coal mine know the damage social media is doing to our children… We refuse to give up on our children and we are on the verge of taking back 15 years of stolen childhood,” he added.
CNBC has reached out to TikTok for comment. Other platforms have also tried to address the dangers of social media on young people’s mental health, with Meta’s Instagram launching a “teen account” in September. In the case of
Zach Rausch, a research scientist at New York University’s Stern School of Business and lead researcher on the No. 1 New York Times bestseller “The Anxious Generation,” said Australia’s legislation is a “significant step” that will make Australia a ” The global leader in protecting children online.”
He said age restrictions were “common sense” and stressed we had age restrictions on driving cars and buying alcohol or cigarettes.
Australian law requires social media platforms to take full responsibility for preventing children from accessing the Internet. Children and their parents who break the law are not punished in any way.
Parents ‘can’t do it alone’
Daisy Greenwell, co-founder of Smartphone Free Childhood in the UK, said it is difficult for parents to manage their children’s social media usage on their own.
“Currently, all the responsibility for protecting children falls on the shoulders of parents, many of whom are too busy worrying about how to put the next meal on the table to figure out the complex world of parental controls,” Greenwell said. .
Greenwell’s Smartphone-Free Childhood is one of many organizations around the world that connects like-minded parents working to keep kids off smartphones and social media. Others include Austin-based Wait until the 8th, unplug in Canada, and time has not come yet In Mexico.
However, in the absence of any laws or regulations, parents say it’s an uphill battle and their children still face peer pressure at school.
“The primary burden of responsibility should fall on those who develop and sell addictive products, not on the parents and children who live in a world where these devices are ubiquitous and it is difficult to resist using them,” Rausch added.
“Parents around the world are trying, but many are failing. They can’t do it themselves unless they lock their kids in a room without a web browser.”
“20th Century Response to 21st Century Challenges”
However, not everyone is convinced that an outright ban on social media is the best outcome for children.
The Digital Industry Group, an Australian non-profit organization that advocates for the advancement of digital industries, said in a press release last week that the ban puts young people’s digital literacy skills at risk.
“Keeping young people safe online is a top priority for parents and the platform,” Sunita Bose, managing director of DIGI, said in a press release.
“But the proposed ban on digital platforms for teenagers is a 20th-century response to 21st-century challenges. We need a balanced approach to creating age-appropriate spaces, building digital literacy and protecting digital platforms, rather than blocking access through bans. Young people are protected from online harm.
Regardless, Bose noted, young people may try to access social media in unregulated ways, which could lead to privacy and security tradeoffs.
“Swimming is risky, but we won’t ban young people from the beach, we will teach them to swim between the flags. Banning young people from using social media may push them into dangerous, unregulated areas of the Internet and cannot Provide them with valuable information.
However, NYU’s Rausch believes that children will still be able to access the Internet and connect with others through Zoom, FaceTime, text messages and phone calls, which will teach them critical digital literacy skills without exposing them to addictive “algorithm-driven” Social media platform.
Greenwell agreed, saying young people will catch up quickly because social media is designed to be easy to use.
“If you’ve seen videos of monkeys using Instagram, you’ll see that it’s designed to be intuitive enough that anyone can learn it in minutes. Once young people hit 16, their brains are wired to do the same thing,” Greenwell said. Said: “We are better equipped to deal with it. “
She added: “We don’t let children practice having sex or drinking alcohol until they are adults, and there is absolutely no need for them to practice using social media, which was never designed with their developing, sensitive brains in mind.”
Antigone Davis, Meta’s vice president of global security, told CNBC Make It in a statement that Meta “respects any age restrictions that governments wish to introduce on the use of social media.”
“What’s missing, however, is a deeper discussion about how we implement protective measures, otherwise we might make ourselves feel better like we’ve taken action, but teens and parents won’t find out,” Davis said. Be in a better situation.
He added: “We firmly believe that parental approval and age verification at the operating system and app store levels will provide a simple and effective solution, while also reducing the burden and privacy risks for parents and teenagers.”
About The Author
