In the finest tradition of King Canute and all those who’ve tried to hold back an unstoppable tide, Australia’s ban on social media for children under the age of 16 is doomed.
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It comes far too late, is wildly impractical and ignores the fact that young teens are generally far more cyber-savvy than their parents. They’ll find loopholes and ways around the new law. It will spawn an army of technocrats to implement and enforce.
Lest you think Canada is immune to such an intrusive and foolish ban, Quebec has indicated it’s considering such a measure. Before other provinces jump on the bandwagon, we urge restraint.
Australia’s “Social Media Minimum Age Bill” is in response to concerns around children’s mental health and the impact of social media on young people. While those concerns are admirable, the new law defies the reality that young people will use social media no matter what.
It forces giants such as Facebook and TikTok to stop children from logging in to their sites, or face fines of about $45 million (Canadian).
A report by Reuters quoted a spokesperson for Meta saying it’s “concerned” about the process, which “rushed the legislation through while failing to properly consider the evidence, what industry already does to ensure age-appropriate experiences and the voices of young people.”
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One Australian senator accused older people of imposing their will on a younger generation.
“This is Boomers trying to tell young people how the Internet should work to make themselves feel better,” said senator Sarah Hanson-Young.
Supporters of the bill say it will help fight cyber-bullying.
“Putting an age limit and giving the control back to the parents, I think it’s a starting point,” said one parent whose son took his life after he was bullied online. The ban will have a 12-month implementation time.
Bans simply make a product more alluring. This one is futile and pointless. A better plan would be to require Facebook, Instagram, X and others to work with schools to educate young people on how to use them safely. Parents also have a role to play in monitoring what their children are doing on social media and a responsibility to talk to them about how to use the Internet safely.