‘Blunt instrument’: Social media laws should go further to minimise harm to children, Sarah Hanson-Young says
Australia’s world-first social media laws are missing a crucial element that could be leaving children in harm’s way, a Greens senator says.
A Greens senator has urged the government to put more pressure on social media platforms to create “safe spaces online”, as the Australia’s world-first social media laws are set to take effect in less than two weeks.
Thousands of teenagers have started archiving their online memories as Meta – which owns Instagram, Facebook and Threads – and Snapchat have started notifying children of account shutdowns ahead of the December 10 ban.
In less than two weeks, these platforms, alongside TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, and Kick, will become age restricted, with accounts for those under 16 deactivated or deleted.
Communications Minister Anika Wells has previously said the laws aim to “target cultural change” and emphasised the need for restrictions to be in place, despite the fact that the rules may not be “perfect”.
However, Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young told the ABC she was “worried” the incoming changes didn’t do enough to take children out of harm’s way.
She is pushing for a complete ban on digital advertising targeting under-18s, saying it would curb the often-stealthy way it impacts children.
“So whatever space they’re on, whether it’s a social media company, whether it’s on the internet, whether they’re on YouTube or Google, they can’t be targeted by advertising in such an insidious way, because then the social media companies will stop trying to suck our kids into their platforms.”
“What I’m worried about is that this ban that comes in on December 10 is such a blunt instrument that it’s not really going to keep our kids safe in the ways we really want.
“Because, basically it just says that the social media companies have to kick off anyone who’s under 16 or can’t prove that they’re over 16.
“And then, of course, young people are going to be left to kind of trying to find community and communicate and connect in other spaces online.
“Those platforms have no requirements to create a space that doesn’t have harmful content, or dangerous algorithms, or doesn’t target them with advertising, Senator Hanson-Young said.
“And of course, for those kids who just decide, ‘Oh well, we might not be on Instagram or Snapchat, but we’ll go over to somewhere else that hasn’t been designated’, it’s those kind of darker corners of the internet that I’m worried about.”
Senator Hanson-Young agreed that restrictions and regulations were “absolutely needed” but said she was concerned the prohibitive nature of the ban may leave children more vulnerable.
“The other issue, of course, is that school holidays are starting very soon.
“(Kids are) going to be going home, being out of that school environment and disconnected from their friends and their community.
“And I’m worried that over summer, without a requirement on these platforms to provide safe spaces for our children and young people, we’re going to see Australian kids falling through the cracks and finding themselves in some pretty dark places over summer.”
Originally published as ‘Blunt instrument’: Social media laws should go further to minimise harm to children, Sarah Hanson-Young says
