By Gayle Pescud
On November 29, 2024, the Australian parliament passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024.
This was the first legislation introduced to and passed in any parliament globally to ban social media for under-16s.
The Hon Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister, said:
The laws place the onus on social media platforms — not young people or their parents — to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under 16 years of age from having accounts.
Behind the News interviewed students regarding how the ban will work and whether it will be effective. One student commented that it will be a positive thing for anti-bullying because it has become such a large issue.
Which tech companies are impacted by the ban?
According to SBS Online: “Platforms including Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter, are expected to have age limits placed on users.” It added that Messenger Kids, WhatsApp, Kids Helpline, Google Classroom and YouTube will not be part of the ban as they are considered “out-of-scope”.
CNN reported that social media companies will have twelve months to comply with the ban.
Al Jazeera’s Soraya Lennie spoke to children in a rural town and asked how effective the ban would be.
On Instagram, Katclark discussed the identity verification requirements and how each social media platform can streamline the process.
App stores should be the ones verifying age, not the apps that they sell. Just one central place to approve what our kids are downloading would make things so much more simpler.
Minister for Communications
The Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland, commented on the novel aspect of the law and the commitment by the government to deliver safety for children:
We know these laws are novel, but to do nothing is simply not an option. The Albanese Government is resolute in its commitment to keeping children safe online, and the passage of this vital legislation is just one way we’re delivering on this commitment.
Speaking of novel ideas, fiction can reflect the social and political zeitgeist.
In the recent Australian novel, “Recipe for Family”, author Tori Haschka has captured the phenomenon of parents using devices often in the presence of their children.
The novel illustrates how parents’ social media use can negatively impact children. The main characters Stella and her husband Felix text and DM between their friends Grace and Bronwyn, and children, Harry, Natalie, and Georgie. One excerpt from the book reads:
…social media these days, let alone delve back into micro-influencing. The last picture she’d posted was the white lillies chosen for the funeral service. She’d uploaded at 1:17 am, two weeks ago…
While the gardener, Jock, mows all of their lawns, other characters Eve Liaw, Alex Chen, Abigail Martin, Sara Peters, and Percy use their devices to work and discuss parenting.
The novel illustrates how “mean girls” on social media can ruin children’s lives at school.
Gotcha
Behind the News is familiar to most primary and high school students in Australia. The student-led news service explains the story behind the story and provides students with tools to better critique the media, with an eye for propaganda, narrative bias, and “doublespeak”, and allows them to tell their own stories.
In this episode, the students explain what the social media ban is, which tech companies are banned, and includes a vision from parliament question time.
Algorithms and social media
There is little mention of algorithms during the debate over the social media ban in parliament.
The issue is explored in Man-made by Australian journalist Tracey Spicer who examines the impact of algorithms. She spoke with Joy Buolamwini, a Ghanaian-American-Canadian computer scientist and founder of the Algorithmic Justice League. Spicer asked (“Man-made”, p. 7):
So what do the experts think? Well, to say they’re worried is an understatement. In the words of Ghanaian-American-Canadian computer scientist Dr Joy Buolamwini, the founder of the Algorithmic Justice League: ‘By the time we wake up, it’s almost too late.’
The Algorithmic Justice League discusses “AI Voice Clones: The Consequences of Harmful Algorithms” and it is a starting point to learn more about algorithms and how you can protect yourself online.
Including all voices in the debate
Australia’s Minister for Communications said:
We’ve listened to young people, parents and carers, experts and industry in developing these landmark laws to ensure they are centred on protecting young people — not isolating them.
While a state premier, Peter Malinauskas, explained he preferred a national approach. He said:
Facebook has developed algorithms or models to get young people addicted…if we can prevent that from occurring in the first instance, it allows you to make stronger choices.
He spoke to Grace, a child in the audience, and said:
You know when you talk to someone…if you see me not being happy about something, it will regulate what you’re saying. You will think, ‘oh, I don’t want to upset Pete, so maybe I’ll change what I’m saying.’ Whereas you don’t get the benefit of that on social media.
November 27, the day the legislation was introduced to parliament, is 13 years since Gary Speed, Wales’s soccer coach, committed suicide. While Speed was an adult, parents whose children have committed suicide due to the link between social media and bullying supported the ban.
The bill received 103 votes in support and 13 votes against in the House of Representatives, and 39 for and 19 against in the Senate.
The UK’s Independent explains that 77 percent of Australians supported the legislation.
The campaign leading up to the introduction of the bill saw testimonies from parents who have lost children to bullying driven by social media, strengthening public support.
A national survey indicated that 77 percent of Australians backed the legislation.
Parent perspectives
In Tori Haschka’s, Grace Under Pressure, Grace uses social media to connect with her child:
Who doesn’t believe in social media these days…
I’ve found sharing Instagram to be a terrific way to connect with my daughter…
In this 44-second clip at Abbey’s, Haschka explained Grace Under Pressure: “is the story of a group of burnt-out women who are ‘harried’ and come up with a pretty ‘novel solution’ of living in a commune together…and the ‘saving grace’ of female friendship.’
While fictional parents may find sharing on Instagram with their children a way to connect, parents in the real world supported the legislation banning social media.
In this video, one mother said: “I shouldn’t have done it in the first place was the first thought I had.” She shut down her children’s social media accounts to protect them.
Human Rights Protections for Australia
Amnesty International Australia, which opposed the legislation, said:
You can sign a petition for a Human Rights Act in Australia.
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Previously Published on globalvoices.org with Creative Commons License
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Photo Credit: Teenagers using cell phones. Image via Pixabay. Free to use.
The post Australia Is the First Nation to Ban Social Media for Under-16s appeared first on The Good Men Project.