Netflix hit writer calls for ‘radical’ Australian ban

The co-writer for Netflix’s hit show Adolescence is calling for the UK government to better protect children from dangers of social media by doing something “radical” like Australia’s ban.

One of the writers of hit series Adolescence is advocating for a ban in the UK similar to that of Australia’s social media ban for children under the age of 16.

Jack Thorne, who co-wrote the Netflix show with Stephen Graham, has said that if you spend any time on most social media platforms, you inevitably end up in some “dark places.”

“Parents can try to regulate this, schools can stop mobile phone access but more needs to be done,” Mr Thorne said.

“There should be government support because the ideas being expressed are dangerous in the wrong hands and young brains aren’t equipped to cope with them.”

Erin Doherty as Briony Ariston and Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller in Adolescence. Picture: Ben Blackall/Netflix

Adolescence has struck up a conversation both in Australia and abroad over its depiction of incel (involuntary celibacy) culture, online bullying, toxic masculinity and the impact of social media.

The show features a standout performance by 15-year-old British actor Owen Cooper, who plays a 13-year-old accused of murdering his female classmate.

Mr Thorne lamented the “watering down” of a UK bill that had proposed the banning of phones in schools and the introduction of a digital age of consent that would ban social media use until 16.

“If it was my decision, I would be talking of smartphones like cigarettes and issuing an outright ban on all use by under-16s, but if that isn’t possible the digital age of consent is a fine alternative,” he wrote in a piece for The Guardian UK.

“In Australia, social media companies will be liable for fines of up to £25m [$51m AUD] if they don’t systematically stop children younger than 16 from holding accounts; in France and Norway there are restrictions up to 15.

“We need to do something similarly radical here.”

Writer Jack Thorne is calling for a similar social media ban to Australia in the UK. Picture: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

Following News Corp’s Let Them Be Kids campaign, the Government passed legislation to raise the age of when children can access social media to 16.

It’s due to come into force this year.

The Let Them Be Kids campaign found that 70 per cent of teens have had a negative experience on social media and one in three have been exposed to distressing or traumatic content, but the pleas of parents who had lost their children to the scourge and experts calling for urgent reform had gone unanswered by the social media platforms.

Recently, a new campaign by US tech giants to dismantle Australia’s regulation of digital platforms has been slammed by politicians and parents of children who have taken their own lives because of social media.

Wayne Holdsworth, whose 17-year-old son Mac took his life after falling prey to a sextortion plot on Instagram, is angry that Australia’s social media ban could be under threat.

“This is typical of the tech companies’ arrogance and disrespect for Australian children,” Mr Holdsworth said.

“The tech companies are responsible for allowing children to be terrorised online. If the Australian Government succumbs to this pressure they are weak.”

Mr Thorne said he had hoped to spark a conversation about the impact of social media on kids.

“We will not solve the problem by kicking this issue into the long grass,” he said. “This requires urgent action. I hope the government is brave enough to reconsider it.”

Originally published as Netflix hit writer calls for ‘radical’ Australian ban