In recent years, the conversation around children having social media accounts has become more nuanced. Some believe access to platforms have a largely negative effect on children’s mental wellbeing, noting bullying, harmful content, and their ability to be misled by false posts. Others say it would be wrong to ban, as social media is a social space, so why isolate children from it? Social media is a communication channel, and depriving children from it is a practice of exclusion. However, from December 10th, Australia are enforcing a large scale social media ban for under 16s, and many are questioning how reasonable this actually is.
Whilst many countries have debated social media bans for under 16s (including the UK), in a world first, Australia is putting the policy into practice. Under the ban, social media companies (ranging from Instagram, to Twitch, TikTok, to Youtube), will be required to deactivate current accounts for those under 16, and prevent more accounts being made without reasonable steps ensuring age verification. Other platforms, in fear of being targeted by these enforcements, have begun introducing age checks (such as Roblox and Discord). These measures come into place following a study by the government earlier this year, which reported 1 in 7 children encountering grooming behaviour from adults, 70% witnessing harmful content – whether it be violent, misogynistic, or the promotion of unhealthy behaviours – and over half experiencing cyberbullying.Â
So why is this a conversation? Well, those in favour of the ban say people should be of an age they can make life decisions before accessing social media. It also could benefit children both physically and mentally. Social media is encrypted with a dopamine loop, cognitive overwhelm and affects attention spans. There also are various dangers, from scams, spam and online abuse, all which can trigger issues such as anxiety, depression, body issues, and sleep disruption. Children are at risk from various exploitative behaviours, and need protection from grooming, and violent content. Data and privacy concerns are crucial to the conversation too, and people argue that until a person is old enough to fully understand these risks, they shouldn’t be granted permission into online spaces.
However, people argue that this online space should not be denied to anyone. Social media isn’t all dangerous – there exist many positive communities online, which may not have their own space in the physical world. There is a participatory culture that comes with online communities and apps, and it is an opportunity to learn, communicate and engage with others. Others say, yes there are major issues with these online platforms, but hold them accountable, not the users. Apps should make their spaces safer for those wishing to participate. Others are concerned that the ban will be difficult to enforce, and children will just find riskier ways to combat it. Additionally, some argue that by the government using age verification techniques, there comes the additional risk of storing children’s data on such large databases.
Perhaps there needs to be a middle ground, where companies are held to greater accountability, with mandatory child friendly interfaces that promote safe participation. If schools taught digital literacy skills, and platforms introduced features such as mandatory time limits and audited more regularly, this could be an alternative.
Australia’s move to introduce a social media ban for this age group has positioned them as a global case study, and has revitalised conversations – will other countries follow suit?