South Australian children under the age of 14 could be banned from social media, with Australian-first legislation being considered.
In addition to the ban, South Australian parents would also be required to give consent for their children to have access to a social media account if they’re aged 14 and 15.
Currently, social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram do require users to be at least 13-years-old to sign up for an account, but children are bypassing this by simply entering a different birthdate.
“Like most parents, I am concerned about the impact social media is having on children in our community,” said South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas.
“We are seeing mounting evidence from experts of the adverse impact of social media on children, their mental health and development.”
In what the Premier described as a ‘nation-leading’ move, former High Court Chief Justice Robert French has been tasked with conducting a legal examination into the possible ban.
While such a ban would be an Australian-first, there are a growing number of international regions who have already taken the step.
In March, theUS state of Florida legislated to ban social media accounts for children under 14, and require parental permission for 14 and 15 year-olds. While Spain has also banned children under 14 from accessing social networks.
The Mouths of Mums community is divided over the proposed ban, with many questioning how it will be enforced.
South Australian mum Christine Keen commented, “My question is how will they manage it? Facebook is already supposed to have a minimum age of 13, but I know of many that have falsified their age to get accounts. Phones are already banned in high schools. Agree that something needs to be done, but no idea how this will work. There are many questions.”
While Inger Andersen said it will only encourage kids to sneak around.
“Nope, only makes them want to more and find ways of going on it, behind your back. Far better to have it out in the open and teach, how to use it safely and at 14, adults are paying the bills, so whats needed is, less time on them in the first place and more use, where adults are, to supervise etc many sites, just ask, are you over 18 or not etc too.”
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