Australia banned young teenagers from social media, launching a world-first crackdown designed to unglue children from addictive scrolling.
A South African parenting expert and social media lawyer says Australia’s ban on young teenagers using social media is a positive move, with many countries, including South Africa, watching with bated breath to see whether the new law will be effective in curbing youngsters’ habits.
Australia banned young teenagers from social media on Wednesday, launching a world-first crackdown designed to unglue children from addictive scrolling on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Social media ban
A raft of the world’s most popular apps and websites face fines of US$33 million if they fail to purge users in Australia under 16.
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and Reddit are forbidden from creating or keeping accounts belonging to users under 16 in Australia.
Streaming platforms Kick and Twitch are also on the government’s blacklist, as are message boards Threads and X.
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‘Monumental’
Sarah Hoffman from Klikd says Australia’s new law is “monumental.”
“There will be loopholes. Kids are going to find a workaround as they always do. But for the very first time, why this is so groundbreaking is, what this law is doing, is for the first time, it is taking the responsibility away from parents, to monitor this very overwhelming and difficult space, putting it rightfully back on the tech companies where it belongs.”
“Kids are very, very clever, and, you know, they’re already finding workarounds. So, they’re doing things like changing their date of birth, changing their locations, changing their email addresses, and contacting their parents using VPNs (Virtual Private Network) . Some of them are even doing something like writing in their bio: ‘this is a parent-managed account,’” Hoffman told 702.
What will SA do?
Hoffman said it’s debatable whether South Africa will follow in Australia’s footsteps in banning social media for young teens.
“That’s a million-dollar question. As with everything in our country, it turns to enforcement. We have one of the most sophisticated legislative processes, one of the best constitutions in the world, but really, what it comes down to is enforcement, and unfortunately, I think, you know, that is a very, very big question mark for us.
“But what is encouraging about this ban is that it certainly has increased awareness globally on the need for a ban in the first place. It’s opened up conversations and given parents an opportunity to speak to their own children and ask what they think about it. We can all see teenagers collectively rolling their eyes right now, but I think, in time, it is a welcome relief,” Hoffman said.
Australis slammed
In November last year, social media giants slammed the landmark Australian law, describing it as a rush job littered with “many unanswered questions”.
The current legislation offered almost no details on how the rules will be enforced — prompting concern among experts that it will simply be a symbolic piece of legislation that is unenforceable.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Australia also warned that the law was no “silver bullet” against online harm and could push kids into “covert and unregulated” spaces online.
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