Social Media Is a Literal Lifeline for Many Kids. Don't Ban Them From Using It
US politicians want to replicate Australia's draconian law prohibiting children under 16 from using social media. But experts say such bans will actually make kids 'significantly less safe online.'
Over the past week, calls for mass surveillance and censorship have reached a fever pitch.
On Wednesday, Australia’s highly controversial social media ban, which blocked millions of users from large swaths of the internet, went into effect. So far, it has had devastating consequences.
Countless adults who are unable or unwilling to link their government ID to their online activity or comply with age verification requirements another way can’t access major social platforms; calls to a youth suicide prevention help line reportedly up as teens were cut off from their online support networks and communities; kids began downloading unregulated and potentially more dangerous apps en masse; and it was revealed that a primary advocacy group behind the ban’s passage was developing an AI tool to track students and was funded and co-staffed by a firm that was simultaneously making gambling ads.
Despite the chaos and abject harm the law in Australia has wrought, US lawmakers are eagerly seeking to replicate it.