Australia certainly is taking a big step. As of December 11, the nation will implement a nationwide social media ban for kids and teens under 16. This first-in-the-nation policy requires social media platforms to act responsibly. Second, they need to take “reasonable steps” to prevent young users from accessing their platforms. Response from the academic community, industry experts and the young user community have been decidedly mixed. This has in turn raised important questions about its long-term impact and effectiveness.
“And that, perhaps, is what is most alarming,” said Daniel Angus, a professor of digital communication at Queensland University of Technology. He thinks the public still knows too little about the consequences of these technologies. He pointed out that many in the general population are not fully informed about the likely impacts of the proposed changes.
Angus countered that the law is supposed to protect kids. While he’s supportive of the intent, he thinks it fails to truly address pressing issues such as cyberbullying. He said cyberbullying was one of those harms that was readily acknowledged. These concerns were highlighted as serious concerns requiring immediate fixes. At the same time, he said “there is nothing in this legislation that addresses cyberbullying meaningfully at all.”
Tama Leaver, an internet studies academic at Curtin University, couldn’t agree more with Angus. He is the chief investigator and research theme leader in the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child. Leaver was one of the signatories of the open letter against the social media ban. This powerful letter which was signed by over 140 academics and members of civil society organizations. He cautioned that the policy is intended to reduce specific risks. Yet, it fails to provide enough for a diverse array of other urgent priorities.
“This at best addresses algorithmic amplification of young people’s experiences of social media, but we expect from what’s been said already that most messaging apps are exempt from this legislation,” Leaver stated. Even further, he blasted the macro approach. He proposed, “If this really is world-leading, we should be under no pretenses about what this legislation is doing.”
Tony Allen, project director of a government-backed trial on implementing the ban, delivered a much more upbeat assessment. He promised that “age assurance will be developed in Australia, and will be private, robust and effective. His inaugural remarks speak to this notion that there are technological solutions that can protect kids online without sacrificing user privacy.
John Pane, chair of the digital rights organization Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA), expressed his concern that the policy would accomplish little. As one small victory, he is a member of the stakeholder advisory board for the trial. He remarked on the moral panic surrounding social media use among minors, stating, “It’s absolutely everything you would expect to find in the midst of a moral panic where people have been sucked along with this idea that, ‘Yeah, this thing is really, really bad and we need to prevent it,’ but have not stopped to think critically about this.”
April Willis, who has been an avid user of social media since her early teens, noted how impactful the ban could be. She didn’t skirt around the answer but owned up to that bitter reality. As many of us are already saying, I would’ve figured out a way in, as many young people will be. Her outlook sheds light on fears over the ability of innovative adolescent users to bypass every restriction put into place.
The upcoming legislation has spurred conversations among parents about digital safety, according to Kirra Pendergast, an advocate for responsible online behavior. Initially opposed to the ban due to concerns about technical workarounds available to savvy kids, she later recognized its potential to prompt necessary discussions among families. Pendergast recalled that long talks with families revealed a critical reality. Though the ban was unfortunate for the groups affected, it began conversations that families had long needed to have.
As Australia nears the start date for this policy, experts are still arguing over what effects it will have. Angus voiced his concern over what the public will experience once the legislation goes into effect. He warned that Australians could be in for a rude awakening when this policy comes into effect. They might quickly find themselves needing to pay because all that data they were giving away for free now requires them to pay to access those services.
