It’s easy for me to say “I think the social media ban is a brilliant idea” when I don’t have to go home to one of the millions of unhappy Australian teenagers this Wednesday following the world-first social media ban for under 16s.
The ground-breaking decision was made in an effort to protect the youth from grooming, cyberbullying, and phone addiction- all serious issues facing teens today. And although that sounds great in theory, reality could be another story.
How will platforms determine a user’s age?
There are no exceptions to the rule and every mega platform including Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Kick, Twitch and TikTok are all expected to have made progress from Wednesday to remove the accounts held by users under 16 years of age in Australia.
How a social media app determines a user’s age will vary between platforms. One way is to request a government-issued ID, such as a passport or driver’s licence, although that is sure to cause its own set of problems.
A platform may also be able to determine a user’s age by looking at how long their account has existed and by examining their posts and networks. Sounds bulletproof…not!
As expected the government have already ended up in a game of Cat and Mouse with Australia’s youth after announcing they are monitoring other platforms that fit the bill thanks to the teens’ scheming ways!
Social media apps Lemon8 and Yope are already on their radar after they experienced a huge surge in popularity amongst teens looking for alternative platforms… you’ve got to respect the craftiness!
What are the flaws of the social media ban?
Firstly, even if these apps do manage to remove all users under 16, they will still be able to watch publicly available social media content that does not require a login.
Secondly, thanks to the above factor- the teens who have figured out loopholes are able to share their message with those who haven’t in order to override the rule.
One under 16s TikToker posted a video outlining the simple step: “Download a VPN so you can change what country your phone thinks you’re in.”
Lastly, although many parents are in favour of the efforts to put a stop to their children’s endless doomscrolling, some families living in rural areas have raised concern about the ban worsening feelings of isolation for their kids. Particulary ones in the LGBTQIA+ community.
What will happen to platforms that fail to comply with the social media ban?
If the platforms fail to do delete the accounts, and also prevent teens from registering new accounts, they risk fines of up to $49.5m. And although that’s only pocket change for the likes of these social media platform giants, it’s not a bill anyone wants to be stung with!
How do teens feel about the social media ban?
Majority of teens feel as you imagine- angry, frustrated, and very unfortunately for the parents- moody. Two teenagers have even gone and taken a case to the High Court! The young people are being supported by the Digital Freedom Project which claims the law restricts the implied right to freedom of political communication.
Another unhappy teenager, Zoey, posted a (now deleted) TikTok video highlighting her shock that the “immoral” government are “ripping something away from children that they love.”
Unfortunately, you can’t put a wise head on young shoulders, and many under-16s won’t understand for years to come that the government’s decision was made with the right intentions.
Is the social media ban a good idea?
I mean, if there is a chance that the social media ban could recreate the 90s childhood for kids all over the world, that’s enough to say it’s a good idea and hope it succeeds!
Smartphones have created a sad state of affairs all over the world now- teens have less interest in playing a game of curbs on the street, and instead prefer spending their time doomscrolling in eachothers company…. and that’s if you’re lucky enough to even get them outside in the first place.
Aside from the lack of true connection with their peers, many of my teacher friends are saying that their job is more crowd control than education these days.
From listening to their perspective, I think it’s really important parents stand with the government on this decision and not give into their children’s pleas to use their ID to set up a new account on Snapchat.
Stay strong, and remember- if you’re going through hell (or in your case, a teen going through social media withdrawals) you’ve got to keep going.
Will any other countries enact a social media ban?
For now, Australia is the acting guinea pig for the world, but on January 1, Malaysia will join the list of countries restricting access to social media with its own ban for under-16s coming into effect.
The European Union is also now considering similar bans, as well as suggestions for a late-night “curfew”, an age-verification app, and limits on addictive features like push notifications and the option to doomscroll.
Let’s hope this is history in the making for the sake of the youth to come.
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