In technology, there’s a term – PICNIC – “problem in chair, not in computer”. It’s a wry way of blaming tech issues on the user rather than the machine.

With its proposal to ban social media for under-16s, Canberra seems to have adopted the same mentality. Rather than viewing social media as a complex part of modern life that can be managed responsibly, the government appears to see it as a “problem in child-rearing, not in computer”. It’s positioning itself as the fixers of parental “failures”, attempting to dictate family life instead of trusting and enabling parents to guide their children.