<
https://theconversation.com/australia-has-already-banned-social-media-for-under-16s-heres-what-the-uk-can-learn-from-the-experience-285256>
"As the UK prepares to introduce an “Australia plus” ban on social media for
under 16s, many lessons can be learned from Australia’s experiment. Many people
may think Australia’s ban is a success, with nearly 5 million social media
accounts deactivated, removed or restricted. But the reality couldn’t be
further from the truth.
The Australian legislation only requires social media platforms – such as
Instagram, TikTok and Facebook – to take “reasonable steps” to prevent under
16s from holding social media accounts. This means children can continue to
view social media content – on YouTube, for example – on a web browser, without
having an account.
This legislation applies to all platforms whose “sole or significant purpose”
is to enable “online social interaction”, allowing people to link to or
interact with others, and to post material on the platform. However, the
legislation excludes gaming platforms, messaging apps and platforms whose “sole
or primary purpose” is educational or health related. The government provides a
self-assessment guide for platforms to identify whether they must restrict
access.
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner did provide an “initial list” of ten platforms
considered “likely” to fall under the legislation. These included Facebook,
Snapchat, Instagram, X, and Twitch. Reddit was also included and immediately
launched a legal challenge, which has yet to be resolved.
The eSafety Commissioner also named ten platforms “unlikely” to fall under the
legislation (such as Roblox, YouTube Kids and Discord). Yet such exclusions
continue to raise concerns around potential harm. In February, the eSafety
Commissioner put Roblox “on notice” following several international reports of
grooming, including a man who was jailed for this offence in the UK."
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
