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A simple ban of young people from social media will harm them. Young people, especially those in a minority group or remote areas of Australia, depend on the internet and social media to reach “their people”. When we limit their ability to do so, there is no replacement. They will simply be cut-off from key parts of society. Instead of an outright ban, we should focus our efforts on better regulation of social media algorithms and the targeting of content to drive advertising revenue, which would make children safer without restricting their ability to participate in society.
The Internet Search Engine Services Safety Code and Social Media Minimum Age bans remain a set of regulations that are not merely ineffective in reducing online harms, but will actually increase the level of online harms that face child and adult Australians alike.
Better regulation of Internet Search Engines and Social Media companies is definitely required but the current safety codes under consideration are not adequate, as we demonstrate in this submission.
To that end, we call on the committee to reject in their entirety the online safety codes for both Internet Search Engines and Social Media Minimum Age, and delay implementation of the codes until meaningful consultation with expert organisations in the field can inform a better policy direction.
Read the rest of our submission on the matter below: