I really like Australia’s new law. I don’t have social media and even though it makes me feel like I’m left out of a lot of things, I’m grateful that my parents don’t allow me to have it. I see my other friends addicted to the phone and social media and throughout the years, I have realized that they are missing out on a lot that’s going on in the outside world …
I think that Australia’s new law is going to be very effective and I think that once the kids get the opportunity to have social media, they will be hesitant or realize that they are missing out on a lot more important events. A lot of my friends who have graduated from high school have started to delete some social media and they’ve told me that people aren’t using it as much. Maybe social media is just a thing that is mostly popular within the age group of 13-16, so Australia is trying to stop the social media addiction and make it so that people are more present and won’t end up having social media at all, even when they get to the age of legally being able to have it.
— Rita, Fountain Valley High School
But others, even if they thought the law was a good idea, doubted it would be effective.
I believe Australia’s law, on paper, is a good idea. But I don’t believe it will be effective. Technology has given young minds infinite access to the world, there will always be a way for a teen to simply lie about their age and over time new social media will continue to surface. In most cases this will leave the law irrelevant and useless. Social media has had an overwhelming negative effect on many people, but many teenage minds have become reliant on social media and can simply work around the law in order to find social media.
I don’t think banning all kids under sixteen from social media is the answer. Take some families in China, for example — parents can be so strict they confiscate phones. But here’s the kicker: the stricter the parents, the more these kids turn into tech ninjas, plotting like secret agents to sneak a peek. Some even go full drama mode — stealing money just to buy a phone or hitting up internet cafes like they’re on an intelligence mission. Instead of an outright ban, maybe we should let teens use their phones in moderation — with some guidance.
And some argued it was the wrong way to handle the real problems that social media poses.
I think Australia’s new law has the right idea, but is too strict and simply the wrong way to handle the ever growing social media issues. By passing this law, Australia is restricting children from valuable media outlets that keep them up-to-date on news, what their friends are up to, and collaborative conversations with those around the world, like a friend or tutor. While I believe that media is harming the way young people think and perceive the world, I think this could have been handled differently. For instance, a governmental system that filters the media that enters the country could be implemented in order to protect the young minds of children, while still giving them access to all the knowledge they want to pursue.