A social media ban for under-16s won’t work. Here’s what will

Calls have amplified in recent weeks for Australian social media age limits to be raised from 13 to 16.

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas announced the state would examine legal and technical pathways around imposing a ban. The e-safety commissioner has recommended age verification on social media through the Online Safety Act. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has weighed in. To add to the momentum, activist parent groups such as 36 months have come out saying a ban is the only way to protect our kids. But is it?

The proposed ban would mean that youths under 16 wouldn’t be able to create accounts on social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok.

For many Aussie parents this horse has already bolted, because kids as young as 10 already have accounts on the sly.Credit: Cameron Myles/ iStock/ Supplied

As a parent of two teen boys I understand the fear attached to social media, but because I also work in the industry, I believe this will be like kryptonite to teens.

We all remember being told we couldn’t have something as kids and that made us want it even more... right?

But the real question is, should a ban be passed, how on earth would we enforce it? Especially if the rules are different state by state.

Spain currently has a ban in place, which needs proof-of-age documents such a student ID or a passport to sign up to social media platforms, and parents can also request their child’s profile be removed.

But for many Aussie parents, this horse has already bolted, because kids as young as 10 already have accounts on the sly.

Kids are clever, and they’re much more clever than their parents when it comes to social media. They will always look for a way around a ban, and they will find it – in the form of fake accounts and pseudonyms.

If this ban is passed, I predict the trade in fake IDs and profiles will absolutely skyrocket, and
more worryingly, push kids’ online behaviours underground – away from family-based conversations and awareness-raising measures.

And don’t even get me started on the data mining of personal information by social media platforms that this kind of ban would allow.

We don’t just throw teens the keys to a car at 17 when they get their licence, do we? We teach them.

While I do believe these platforms should be held responsible for dangerous or offensive content, there are also a lot of positives to social media for our kids.

To put it really simply, it’s how they connect and communicate with each other.

So instead of a blanket ban that wouldn’t work anyway, why don’t we teach them instead to be responsible digital citizens?

In my work and at the school gates, I have tons of conversations with parents about how to “manage” their children’s digital lives. The first thing I always tell them is to get themselves an account on the platforms their kids are using, so they know what they’re doing on there.

Yes, your kids will cringe that you’re skulking around in their world, but you also will open the door to honest conversations with them about their online behaviour.

And as far as teaching them to be responsible digital citizens goes, we don’t just throw teens the keys to a car at 17 when they get their licence, do we? We teach them to drive, we teach them the rules of the road. So why would we think that we don’t have to educate them about the rules of social media?

At my house, phones are checked in two hours before bed and time on devices needs to be earnt via household chores. These rules will differ for every family in their specifics. The point is, they teach that having a phone is a privilege, not a right.

A social media ban on its own is not the solution and there are better ways to spend the funds that it would take the government to roll this out and police it.

While we need to hold platforms accountable for the content they publish and the algorithms that they throw at our teen and tweens, I don’t think this is the way to do it.

My top tips to educate kids about social media etiquette

1. If something feels off, don’t hesitate, tell an adult.
2. Don’t weigh into any kind of online bullying or taunting. This ends badly for everyone. Always.
3. If one of your friends is making fake accounts or inappropriate comments, call them out.
4. Social media is forever. People screenshot and screen-record comments, videos and posts.
5. Further to point 3, nudes are a no, always. Should you receive one, delete it and never, ever forward.

Because while social media can sometimes have negative impacts on our teen’s mental health, I believe taking it away from them could open Pandora’s box, creating a raft of hidden issues that parents will have to navigate.

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