Australia Bans Social Media For Under 16s

The Australian government recently passed legislation banning social media for children under the age of 16. The ban will officially come into effect in around 12 months’ time once the powers that be have worked out the finer details. The full scope of the ban remains unknown at this stage. However, it seems that Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Snapchat, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) are squarely in the government’s crosshairs.

Obviously, the social media giants are up in arms, as are the civil libertarians and overly sensitive do-gooders, of course. However, a recent poll revealed that 77% of Australians agree with the ban. The legislation places the onus on tech companies to implement an effective proof-of-age mechanism with fines of up to $50 million AU for non-compliance.

Australia is not the first country to attempt to restrict children’s social media use, but the minimum age of 16 is the highest set by any country to date. Also, unlike other attempts, it does not include exemptions for existing users or those with parental consent.

My Take On The Legislation

As an Australian father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, I agree 100% with the ban. In my opinion, the term “social media” is an oxymoron, with social media often incorporating the epitome of anti-social behavior – cyber-bullying, offensive comments, and despicable video clips, all are rife across social media platforms. Not to mention the scammers and data scrapers who take advantage of social media’s wide usage.

A spokesperson for Meta, owner of Facebook, is reported to have stated that the bill would be “ineffective” and not meet its stated aim of making kids safer. “Making kids safer”, what a joke. Tell that to the Australian parents who have lost a child to suicide due to cyberbullying.

I do have a Facebook account but I never post anything, it is purely for me to keep an eye on my kids and grandkids’ adventures, all of whom are adults. I experienced a concern with Facebook recently whereby a disgusting video involving animal cruelty was constantly popping up in my feed. I deleted and reported the video on numerous occasions and, finally, after six weeks received a message from Meta that the video had been removed.

This raises two important questions:

1. How on earth was this disgusting video passed for publication in the first place? Clearly, Meta’s impersonal algorithm is seriously flawed
2. Why does it take six full weeks for the company to take action? Again, Meta’s impersonal method for dealing with these types of issues is far from ideal

While I do wholeheartedly agree with the ban, I can see a couple of issues that might impede its success:

1. Proof-of-Age: While the Australian authorities and social media giants have 12 months to nut out some sort of effective proof-of-age mechanism, at this stage it’s difficult to even guess what that might entail. Especially while mitigating any associated privacy concerns
2. Circumventing The Ban: Today’s kids are tech-savvy and it will probably only be a matter of time before some young tech genius comes up with a workaround, news of which is almost certain to spread like wildfire

In France, for example, where a ban on social media exists for under 15s, reports are that around 50% of those youngsters are circumventing the ban by utilizing a VPN.

BOTTOM LINE:

Other countries, notably in Europe, are keeping a watchful eye on proceedings in Australia with a view to potentially introducing similar bans. I do hope the Australian ban meets with some success but, due to the reasons stated above, I do have my doubts.

What do you think, should under 16s be banned from social media? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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