One of the most talked about tech stories of 2024 was not about Apple’s latest iPhone, or what Huawei and Samsung had up their sleeves, but rather Australia’s social media ban.
Australia’s parliament in November passed a new law banning children aged under 16 from using social media, one of the strictest regulations targeting the platforms in the world.
Social media giants slammed the landmark Australian law, describing it as a rush job littered with “many unanswered questions”.
On paper, the ban is one of the strictest in the world.
However, Australia’s current legislation offers almost no details on how the rules will be enforced — prompting concern among experts that it will simply be a symbolic piece of legislation that is unenforceable.
The legislation is being closely monitored by other countries, with many weighing up whether to implement similar bans.
Ban long overdue
Dean McCoubrey, founder of MySociaLife said new legislation in Australia prohibiting social media use for under-16s is a long-overdue measure to protect young people from the significant risks they face online.
“However, while the ban has generated significant focus, it highlights a deeper issue: the systemic failure of education to equip children with the necessary skills to navigate an increasingly digital world.
“Having taught this topic of online safety, social media and media literacy, this is of course welcome news for the health and wellbeing of pre-teens. However, we need to grasp that it’s unlikely much will happen here in the next few years,” McCoubrey said.
What will SA do?
Seeing that Australia has taken action on the harm to adolescents, will South Africa attend to the issue?And what will local educators and parents do in the interim?
“A new movement called Smartphone Free Childhood has gained momentum, and while valuable, this fails to attend to the call on educators to move into action by integrating digital skills and modern life orientation into the curriculum.
“We can’t just ban, we need to educate as a part of daily school life. Not just to attend to the challenges, but also the reality that tech now fills hours of daily life for adults and children alike. Even if there is a ban, how do we prepare kids for a future online? This is a complicated and layered debate,” said McCoubrey.
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