But the ban, which is currently being debated, raises serious concerns about the potential consequences for children’s development and well-being. The Australian government’s proposed ban on social media for children under 16 is a controversial topic. The ban, which is currently being debated, aims to protect children from the potential harms of social media.
Advertisement A social media ban will close down this avenue and force children into lower-quality online environments. Children already say adults don’t understand what they do online and are underequipped to support them. A blanket ban affirms parents “don’t get it”. Kids will find ways to get around the ban. And if their interactions turn sour on social media, the fact they were not supposed to be there will make it more difficult to reach out to adults for help. Crucially, demands for blanket bans – challenging to implement – also force tech platforms into “compliance mode”. They divert company resources away from designing better online environments for children and into litigation.
**A. Empowering Parents and Educators for a Safe Digital Future**
**B.
We must prioritize education and awareness, empowering parents and educators to equip their children with the necessary skills to navigate the digital world safely. This approach emphasizes a proactive and preventative strategy, focusing on building a foundation of digital literacy and responsible online behavior. It acknowledges that simply banning access to certain platforms or content is not a sustainable solution. Let’s delve deeper into the potential benefits of this approach.
This approach emphasizes the importance of considering safety from the very beginning of the development process, rather than as an afterthought. For example, consider a new social media platform. Instead of simply adding safety features like reporting mechanisms and moderation tools after the platform is built, safety by design would involve integrating these features into the platform’s core functionalities.
It’s a crucial component, but it’s not enough. We need to go beyond just building secure systems and focus on fostering a culture of safety.
How? High-quality, child-centred evidence can help major platforms develop industry-wide standards that define what kinds of content are appropriate for children of different ages. We also need targeted education for children that builds their digital capabilities and prepares them to deal with and grow through their engagement online. For example, rather than education that focuses on extreme harms, children are calling for online safety education in schools and elsewhere that supports them to manage the low-level, everyday risks of harm they encounter online: disagreements with friends, inappropriate content or feeling excluded. Heed the evidence Some authoritative, evidence-based guidance already exists. It tells us how to ensure children can mitigate potential harms and maximise the benefits of the digital environment. Where the evidence doesn’t yet exist, we need to invest in child-centred research. It’s the best method for gaining nuanced accounts of children’s digital practices, and can guide a coherent and strategic long-term approach to policy and practice.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the limitations of relying solely on traditional research methods. The pandemic highlighted the need for rapid, flexible, and adaptable research approaches that could respond to the evolving nature of the crisis. Traditional research methods, often slow and rigid, struggled to keep pace with the rapidly changing situation.
