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Bravehearts’ Director of Research, Carol Ronken, reflects on the Australian Government’s plans to legislate minimum ages for social media use in Australia.
With the announcement that the Australian Government plans to legislate minimum ages for social media use in Australia, I have been reflecting on what is the best approach for addressing online risks and harms for children and young people.
To use a well-worn phrase, I do not believe we can legislate our way out of this issue. A colleague on LinkedIn put it another way – ‘We can’t fence the ocean’.
Either way we look at it, legislating a minimum age for social media comes with huge challenges and concerns around balancing the prevention of online harms and the digital rights of children and young people. We need to understand what works, within the context of best interests.
There is no denying that the online world has risks, but at the same time, the benefits of online platforms for children and young people are undeniable. The truth is, for many young people, the online space is an avenue for support and connectedness. The online world offers a platform for learning, for creating a space for self-expression, and socialising. Online connections can foster a sense of community and belonging for many young people; where young people can share common interests, connect with those with shared identities, and where children who struggle with social anxiety can forge positive online connections that can help them connect with their peers offline.
It is not just social media that poses a risk for children and young people. With the continual advancement of technologies (AI comes to mind), risks are evolving. While legislation has an important role to play in messaging and protection, the real need is in the online education space and in working with technology companies. Yes, we need strong legislation, but even more importantly we need to invest in digital literacy, in helping children develop skills that are needed to ensure positive and safe online behaviours and practices. We need to educate the tech sector on how risks play out for our children and young people; and we need to engage them in creating solutions.
What we here at Bravehearts advocate for is that those seeking solutions to online risks speak to children and young people and engage with the technology sector about what works. An approach co-designed with those these efforts are seeking to protect, and those developing the platforms that may pose a risk, has more of a chance of working than just imposing arbitrary age restrictions on social media sites.