Editorial: Social media age limit a first step, vapes see return of a deadly habit

It is important to see age limits as just one step in the much bigger challenge facing the social media behemoths, writes the editor.

The world’s social media giants are on notice.

It has perhaps taken too long, but we applaud the Prime Minister for finally recognising the urgent need for mandated minimum age limits to access social media platforms.

The promise to legislate before the election – due in May – an age limit for platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook is necessary. It will literally save lives.

There is no commitment yet to a specific age, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he prefers 16 – which is what our Let Them Be Kids campaign that first put this topic on the agenda has called for.

It is important the government acts quickly here. We cannot waste another day when we have a chance as a society to reverse skyrocketing rates of anxiety, eating disorders and in children – as our coverage has so tragically highlighted.

It is just as important to see age limits as just one step in the much bigger challenge facing the social media behemoths: that of acting like a good corporate citizen, and as an upstanding member of society. So far they have failed dismally on this – and too often, deliberately.

The same companies that have AI-fuelled algorithms that can spot a nipple in nanoseconds claim they are incapable of monitoring and moderating the often appalling and toxic content that is published on their various platforms daily.

Those claims are, quite simply, absolute bollocks. These are the world’s biggest ever companies, and they act like it. To them, laws are there to be ignored – and more so if there is a dollar in it.

They have a proven record of putting their own self-interest and wellbeing – their corporate profits – ahead of their millions of users, particularly children.

This is why it is so critical that governments rigorously oversee the behaviour of the big tech companies, rather than being frustrated by their deliberate delaying tactics and so putting it in the too-hard basket. That is what they are seeking. They know that political will can often be outspent and outlasted. We should be demanding of the social media giants no more than we currently expect from any other company or industry – to behave like good corporate citizens and obey the law.

That includes banning and taking down the seemingly endless stream of obvious online scams infecting social media feeds.

And it means monitoring and removing footage of obviously criminal behaviour rather than investing in the creation of algorithms that send young and impressionable users down ever-more toxic rabbit holes.

It also means paying what they owe for the professional news content that others have created.

The Prime Minister clearly still has a lot of work to do to show to these corporate titans that Australia is not a nation that will be cowered.

Credit is also due here for federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who was quick to pledge the introduction within the first 100 days of a government led by him of a 16-year minimum age limit.

Various state governments have also been keeping the pressure on, making it known – including on the sidelines of last week’s National Cabinet meeting – that they are actively exploring enforcing social media age limits.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles was among them, alongside his counterparts from NSW and South Australia.

We needed a nationally agreed set of rules, rather than a state-by-state hodgepodge approach. And so this is a good outcome.

Mr Albanese says his government has decided to take action on minimum age limits now rather than waiting for the results of an ongoing $6.5m age assurance trial because “enough is enough”. We agree.

As Mr Albanese himself has said: “No government is going to be able to protect every child from every threat but we have to do all we can.”

RETURN OF A DEADLY HABIT

Nicotine vapes may be, for the most part, banned in Australia, but their legacy will be felt for decades to come.

As medical reporter Jackie Sinnerton writes today, the millions of Australian children aged 12 to 19 who used vapes are five times more likely to end up as smokers. And 12-year-old vapers are 29 times more likely to smoke.

In many ways it is like our children have been weaned on to cigarettes. Attracted to legal and unregulated vapes by their lollyshop flavours, they became addicted to the nicotine put in the products by manufacturers who included it for just that reason.

Then, when governments belatedly cracked down on nicotine vapes and banned then except for therapeutic use, young bodies were crying out for nicotine.

Many young adults have already taken up smoking – with cheap blackmarket cigarettes flooding the market.

It’s heartbreaking that Australia’s great gains in cutting smoking rates might soon be erased. We need a concerted national effort to get our children off nicotine for good.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here