Australia's social media ban is exactly the kind of bold, necessary action that protects kids from real harm — algorithms pushing young people toward extremism, nudify apps, and violent content normalizing abuse. Unaccountable tech giants profit while children suffer, and government has a duty to push back hard. A digital duty of care that extends these protections even further is the logical next step.
Australia's teen social media ban has flopped — around seven in 10 kids remain on major platforms with no meaningful drop in cyberbullying or image-based abuse. Age-gating creates dangerous privacy vulnerabilities and lets tech companies off the hook for their extractive, algorithm-driven business models. Real harm reduction means regulating big tech's design and monetization practices, not chasing a ban that experts warned would fail.
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