<
https://www.techdirt.com/2026/02/17/australias-social-media-ban-is-isolating-kids-with-disabilities-just-like-critics-warned/>
"We’ve been covering Australia’s monumentally stupid social media ban for kids
under 16 since before it went into effect. We noted how dumb the whole premise
was, how the rollout was an immediate mess, how a gambling ad agency helped
push the whole thing, and how two massive studies involving 125,000 kids found
the entire “social media is inherently harmful” narrative doesn’t hold up.
But theory and data are one thing. Now we’re getting real-world stories of
actual kids being harmed by a law that was supposedly designed to protect them.
And wouldn’t you know it, the harm is falling hardest on the kids who were
already most vulnerable. Just like many people predicted.
The
Guardian has a deeply frustrating piece about how Australia’s ban is
isolating kids with disabilities—the exact population for whom social media
often serves as a genuine lifeline."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
