The South Australian government has proposed a ban on social media for kids under 14. For kids between 14 and 15, they’ll need the consent of a parent or guardian. The decision comes in light of the Albanese government’s plan to raise the minimum age for social media and gaming platforms. The plan is to raise the age for not only South Australians, but all minors in Australia. There’s no set age yet, but there’s a good chance it’ll be between 14 and 16.
South Australia moves to ban kids under 14 from social media
2 min readThe reason for the ban
South Australian Premier, Peter Mainauskas, has ascribed the proposal to the ‘adverse impact’ of social media on young people. “When a product or service hurts children, governments must act. We will work closely with the commonwealth to implement this ban, which will be welcomed by parents across the country,” He said.
When the ban was proposed earlier this year, the response was polarising. Bullying and harmful online content are major concerns for parents, no matter how old their child is. However, the sad reality is that a ban on social media isn't going to stop this type of content from circulating.
While social media can negatively impact the health of young Aussies, some aren't convinced that the proposal will do anything. Carly Dober from the Australian Association of Psychologists told the Australian Associated Press, “It's a bandaid response to a very complicated and deeply entrenched issue. The fundamental issues around how the internet can be unsafe for people have not changed. There's still hate speech and deeply misogynistic, deeply racist, deeply sexist content online”.
Even though a ban on social media may limit kids’ exposure to harmful content, it’ll also limit their access to critical support networks. There are benefits for young people, especially those who are disabled, refugees, and who identify as LGBTQI+. Kids from marginalised communities find community in online spaces, especially if physical spaces like schools are unwelcoming.
How it’ll work
The ban on social media will impose a duty of care on social media companies. This means they’ll need to take reasonable steps to bar children from their platforms. To ensure companies follow the ban, they’ll be overseen by a state regulator. The regulator will monitor the company and ensure they've taken reasonable measures to prevent kids from accessing their platform. If children are found on their platform they’ll cop hefty fines and lawsuits.
How will companies keep track of the child’s age? Will they need to provide their birth date or tick a box to confirm they’re of age? If you signed up for MySpace in the early 2000s without your parents’ permission you’ll know this doesn’t work.
Most kids don’t have a government ID to prove their age. Sure, they might have a school ID, a library card, or even a passport if they’ve travelled overseas, but that's the extent of it. Since adults are the ones with IDs, platforms may require the ID of the parent or guardian. They will then provide consent on their child’s behalf.
How will parental consent mechanisms work? Will it resemble the Discord parent centre, where you can merge your child’s account with your own? For users who are of age, they’ll need a digital ID. The age verification process poses obvious security and privacy concerns – how will these IDs be stored and used? What will happen to your ID if there’s a data breach? These questions are yet to be answered.
Next steps
It’s a draft bill proposal, so nothing is set in stone yet. Even though the ban may prevent exposure to harmful content, it’s an important tool for kids to have access to. Online spaces are important for teens, especially for those from marginalised communities. The goal of the ban is to encourage healthy, meaningful participation in the digital world, though it may do more harm than good.
