Let them be kids: Something has to change and this is a good start
Stephanie Hanlon is one of Darwin’s most active content creators. She works at the NT News and says Australia’s new under-16 social media ban had to happen. Read why.
Content creation is my passion, I thrive for social media.
It began through sharing with people my life and working in remote communities.
Three years later and I’m now one of Darwin’s most active content creators and I welcome today’s dawn of a new social media era that begins Australia’s new under-16 social media ban.
It is something that has been constantly on my mind, but nothing made it feel more real to me than a moment I had recently at Parap Markets last Saturday.
A wonderful young girl, smiling and excited asked me for a photo, because she follows me online.
As a content creator with a combined following of 180,000 followers over TikTok and Instagram, I’m used to people recognising me, especially in a city the size of Darwin.
As she expressed she loved my videos, I was curious about her age.
She was 9.
This left me unsettled, not because of her innocence, but because she’s navigating an online world built for adults before she’s even reached double digits.
Often influencers will celebrate gaining more followers, but when it comes to children it’s more complicated.
Kids are not just numbers, clicks and followers.
They are now shaped by likes, trends and an algorithm they can’t possibly understand.
I post lifestyle and self-image/body positive content.
I want young women to feel comfortable in their skin, but what I’ve realised over time is the more you engage in a certain topic, the more you are fed that content.
So if a young girl is feeling insecure the platform will push towards extreme versions of wellness content, diet culture, unrealistic bodies, rapid weight-loss trends, and content that quietly affects their self-esteem.
Young people already struggle with self-image, but online that’s amplified.
Along the lifestyle influencers promote, there is the constant flow of unboxing hauls and with it the pressure to have the next new outfit, skincare or make up.
All which is reinforced by an algorithm that rewards engagement, not wellbeing.
Adults can barely escape from the pressure, so how can young children be expected to understand the online world?
Critics of the ban say it’s too strict or will be impossible to enforce, but doing nothing while 9 year old girls are comparing themselves to what they see online, would be wrong.
Something has to change and this is a good start.
Stephanie Hanlon is the NT News’ Social Media and Digital Producer.
Originally published as Let them be kids: Something has to change and this is a good start
