The Australian parliament late last month passed a law that would ban people younger than 16 from using social media. If all goes smoothly, the legislation would be the first of its kind.
Starting at the end of next year, Australia would be the first nation to prohibit children younger than 16 from using social media platforms. Platforms that fail to systematically prevent child registration would be penalized.
Australia’s new law is the strictest yet when it comes to child social media use, but the debate over whether it would effectively solve the negative impacts of social media on children has sparked intense and polarized debate.
A complete ban is difficult to implement. The EU in 2015 proposed a law that would ban Internet use for children younger than 16 without a parent’s permission, including the use of social media platforms. However, technology companies and human rights organizations protested the bill, saying that it limited children’s right to obtain information in the digital age.
Putting the human rights controversy aside, one could get around the social media ban by simply using a virtual private network. Regulations such as this lack significance without worldwide implementation.
Furthermore, the UN Children’s Fund has also warned that strict bans on social media use could lead children to secret and unregulated online spaces — this would actually bring about even more uncontrollable situations.
In Taiwan, child social media addiction is a serious issue. Whether the government can effectively emulate Australia’s methods has yet to be determined. The current consensus in Taiwan is that — rather than a complete ban — we should educate children to improve their media literacy skills while cultivating self-discipline. However, this method is arguably the most difficult to implement.
Not only must parents themselves learn, but — more importantly — they must spend more time accompanying their children to help them become aware of the circumstances surrounding social media use.
Dino Wei is an engineer.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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