Katie Deutsch
Australia has passed a law to ban children under 16 from using any social media site– what is a social media site has yet to be defined. The new law contains no details about how the ban will work, only that the companies will be expected to take reasonable steps to ensure users are aged 16 or over. It has not even been stated what platforms this will apply to, with Communications Minister Michelle Rowland suggesting TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram will all be affected, but also suggesting that YouTube will be exempted. The law will not go into effect for at least twelve months and will carry a fine of up to fifty million Australian dollars for the companies that break the new law.
This is a landmark reform. We know some kids will find workarounds, but we’re sending a message to social media companies to clean up their act”.
The government has stated that social media sites are not going to force users to submit personal data- including passport information. It is yet unknown what other methods can be used to enforce age restrictions. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has stated, “This is a landmark reform. We know some kids will find workarounds, but we’re sending a message to social media companies to clean up their act”.
I don’t want to go to things like blanket bans because I want people to benefit from all of the opportunities presented by modern technology. But where there are harms, I will keep everything on the table when it comes to keeping people safe”.
Amnesty International has recommended the law not go through, saying that a “ban that isolates young people will not meet the government’s objective of improving young people’s lives”. A large number of experts have also recommended that the law be scrapped, as they believe the law is too ‘blunt an instrument’ to keep children safe. There is additional concern over the law being rushed- the bill was introduced and pushed through to the Senate the same day (Thursday), and then submissions for inquiry closed the next day. On Monday, a three-hour hearing was held, and the report was tabled on Tuesday. It then became law two days later. Peter Kyle, the science secretary, told Sky News “I don’t want to go to things like blanket bans because I want people to benefit from all of the opportunities presented by modern technology. But where there are harms, I will keep everything on the table when it comes to keeping people safe”.
“clear, causal link between the rise of social media and the harm [to] the mental health of young Australians”
Those in support of the ban are currently citing cases like those of Molly Russell, who committed suicide after being exposed to “dark” content on social media. Similarly, the Australian Prime Minister has said that there is a “clear, causal link between the rise of social media and the harm [to] the mental health of young Australians”.
However, those against the ban are calling it ineffective, saying that it is likely to drive teens onto the dark web, and other unregulated sites. Just using a VPN will likely be enough to get around the law, which will mean that children will be seeing all the same things- just with no protections from the government. Equally, as there will be no incremental access, it will be likely to overwhelm the teens once they do gain access, leading to them making mistakes they cannot take back. There are, of course, significant concerns around the security of judging someone’s age– using government documents would likely lead to that information being leaked, and AI is notoriously bad at tasks such as judging someone’s age, which would mean that it would have a high enough inaccuracy rate to be useless.
“The government is running blindfolded into a brick wall. Complex issues like this require careful consultation and consideration, not shortcuts. We urge the government to slow down and engage with stakeholders to ensure we get this right for young people,” said Christopher Stone, the executive director of Suicide Prevention Australia. This is some of the strictest legislation in the world, and all the evidence points to it being actively harmful.
Katie Deutsch
Featured image courtesy of Alexander Shatov via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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