SOCIAL MEDIA AGE BAN IS WELL-MEANING BUT FLAWED
Furthermore, 77 per cent of Australians again the age limits, among the most intensive restrictions on social platforms outdoors of China, though thus far the federal government has provided few solutions on how they’ll work.
I’ve written about this new legislation earlier than, and I nonetheless assume it’s well-meaning however flawed, greedy for a soundbite-y answer to complicated issues.
Analysis reveals that blanket age bans aren’t efficient at stopping on-line harms to growing minds, as they ignore adolescents’ completely different maturity ranges. Whereas they might appear interesting to folks, they disregard the evident realities of rising up within the fashionable world, particularly after the pandemic compelled extra on-line schooling, work and socialising.
Fully shutting out younger folks from digital communities can sever lifelines for marginalised teams in Australia, and extra broadly distracts from the tougher coverage work of developing with complete options to make these platforms safer.
Tech-savvy teenagers additionally are usually superb at bypassing age limits, and Australia has mentioned that it gained’t penalise dad and mom or younger folks for doing so. Norway, for instance, at present has restrictions barring youngsters beneath 13 from social media, however discovered that 72 per cent of 11-year-olds nonetheless go surfing.
Australia’s legislation provides platforms one yr to determine tips on how to implement age-verification know-how that doesn’t require IDs to be uploaded resulting from privateness considerations. There are some exceptions, together with for messaging providers.
