The Australian government is reexamining its Digital Duty of Care policy. This important policy, first introduced into the portfolio by former Minister Michelle Rowland, has only been in effect for eight months. This new initiative is an important step in the right direction, intending to hold social media platforms accountable for protecting their users, especially children, from online harms. Rowland described the policy as “a shift away from reacting to harms… and moving towards systems-based prevention,” reflecting a proactive approach to online safety.
In November 2022, government officials announced the forthcoming Digital Duty of Care. This move came on the heels of a detailed review of the Online Safety Act by Delia Rickard. This review translated into more than 60 recommendations to make Australia the safest place to be online. Since its announcement, the government has said very little about the Digital Duty of Care. This announcement has led to hope and speculation among policy experts about what’s possible with it.
Commitment to Legislation
Newly appointed Minister Anika Wells is still clearly focused on continuing the push for stage two implementation of a Digital Duty of Care. Despite the government’s apparent reticence this year, which has raised questions about the policy’s viability, she asserts that YouTube will be included in the upcoming teen social media ban. This ban is scheduled to go into effect in about four months.
Wells acknowledges the pressing need for action, noting that “four out of 10 Australian kids have had their most recent or most harmful experience on YouTube.” This staggering statistic illustrates just how urgent our responsibility is to keep young users safer online. In theory, this should allow the government to compel social media companies to adopt practices that protect Australian users. This new approach is based almost entirely on that assumption.
“Ultimately one for the social media platforms to answer,” – Anika Wells
Wells’ commitment was bolstered by a late June letter of recommendation, written in strikingly strong terms, from eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant. The responses showed that people wanted governments to go further in making social media platforms accountable for making user safety a key priority.
Unveiling the Challenges
Though we appreciate the intention behind the Digital Duty of Care, we’re concerned that how this may be operationalized still leaves ambiguity. So far, the federal government has not committed to implementing the rest of Delia Rickard’s comprehensive review recommendations. This lack of clarity has further muddied the waters for this important reform’s timeline.
Jonathan Hargreaves, Michelle Rowland’s principal private secretary told us what went into the decision-making that led to the establishment of the Digital Duty of Care back in April. Unfortunately, the absence of any public outreach explaining the policy since then has added to skepticism about what – if anything – the policy will accomplish. Experts have started to whisper about whether it will ever actually happen.
“Parents will be hearing this and thinking it’s a great thing to limit kids’ access to this harmful content, but they’ll also be asking, ‘why is that harmful content there in the first place?’” – Mark Riley from Seven News
The questions raised by Riley highlight a critical aspect of the discussion surrounding online safety: the responsibility of social media platforms in preventing harmful content from reaching young users.
Future Prospects
As the conversations move forward, Wells said he is hopeful that the creators of the Digital Duty of Care can be even more ambitious. She stated, “I’m looking forward to doing more work on it,” indicating her dedication to seeing this initiative through.
The Health Committee welcomes the proposed ban on teen social media as a move to strengthen the Digital Duty of Care. It aims squarely at those platforms that have not done enough to protect younger users. The government has a goal of developing a legislative framework which requires social media platforms to take proactive measures against harms that they’re able to foresee.
The ongoing dialogue surrounding these two initiatives reflects a growing recognition of the need for stronger regulations in the digital space. The government has done a lot to lead the way in making the online world safer for our children. The real impact of these policies hinges on how well they are implemented and enforced.
