SOCIAL MEDIA AGE BAN IS WELL-MEANING BUT FLAWED
Moreover, 77 per cent of Australians back the age limits, some of the most extensive restrictions on social platforms outside of China, even though so far the government has offered few answers on how they will work.
I’ve written about this new law before, and I still think it is well-meaning but flawed, grasping for a soundbite-y solution to complex problems.
Research shows that blanket age bans aren’t effective at preventing online harms to developing minds, as they ignore adolescents’ different maturity levels. While they may seem appealing to parents, they disregard the glaring realities of growing up in the modern world, especially after the pandemic forced more online education, work and socialising.
Completely shutting out young people from digital communities can sever lifelines for marginalised groups in Australia, and more broadly distracts from the harder policy work of coming up with comprehensive solutions to make these platforms safer.
Tech-savvy teens also tend to be very good at bypassing age limits, and Australia has said that it won’t penalise parents or young people for doing so. Norway, for example, currently has restrictions barring children under 13 from social media, but found that 72 per cent of 11-year-olds still log on.
Australia’s law gives platforms one year to figure out how to implement age-verification technology that doesn’t require IDs to be uploaded due to privacy concerns. There are some exceptions, including for messaging services.
