Australia

Australia Moves to Toughen Teen Social Media Ban

Is this a bold step to protect kids or a failed policy that lets Big Tech off the hook?

Published 4 hours ago

Australia Moves to Toughen Teen Social Media Ban

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Above: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the House of Representatives in Canberra on May 12. Image credit: Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-government narrative

Australia's social media ban was a bold and necessary move to protect children from online harms. However, more needs to be done to stop dangerous algorithms and platforms, along with their damaging consequences, in their tracks. The Australian government is committed to strengthening the existing ban while extending protections even further under a new digital duty of care.

Anthonyalbanese APH

Government-critical narrative

Despite the government's best intentions, it is irrefutable that the social media ban has been a flop, with the vast majority of under-16s remaining on major platforms. If anything, age-gating policies have only exacerbated the issue, as they have let tech companies off the hook for their extractive, algorithm-driven business models, thereby preventing reforms that would build a genuinely safer digital space.

Guardian BMJ