Addressing the crucial concerns around social media, the lower house of the Australian Parliament on Wednesday passed a bill seeking a ban on the platforms for children below 16 years of age. The legislation got overwhelming support in the lower house and is set to get passed from the Senate.
The tech giants like Meta and Google have opposed it and made a call for the delay which is less likely to be entertained.
The government is serious about the ban because as per a 2023 report of the University of Sydney, Australia has one of the world’s most online populations with four-fifths of its 26 million people on social media, according to tech industry figures. Three-quarters of Australians aged 12 to 17 had used YouTube or Instagram.
Australia has become the first country to debate such legislation. Although, there are many countries where there is a ban or regulations. For instance in Norway, the minimum age is 13, but the regulation is not observed strictly and the Norwegian govt is mulling to raise the age ban to 15.
Similarly, the EU and France, as individuals, also have regulations related to social media access to children.
Reel culture
Social media which came to us as an effective tool to connect with our wide list of networks with fingertip access. No more diaries, no fear of losing the contact list. The ones you would have lost connection to in the late 20th Century, were suddenly in contact with you. It was even more intriguing to see that civilization took another leap in the realm of connectivity where a page became our life reflection. But things always don’t turn out the way we like.
As a tool, social media in the last few years has been a topic of debate among the tech buffs, society, families and most importantly, the parents.
The unwarranted exposure and a lack of filter, censorship and monitoring have been the cornerstone of these debates.
The reason for it is simple but complex, as it takes children and teenagers at the centre. Recall, a widely circulated reel of a senate hearing, where Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was grilled and he had to apologize. It was actually in January this year and he was present at a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington. In that reel, Senator Hawley asks Zukerberg, “13 percent of teenage girls between 13 and 14 exposed to unwarranted nudity in a week on Instagram, who did you fire?”
The question is sufficient enough to explain what parents’ concerns are with social media.
As per the law, after assuming the age of 18, one is free to make their own choices, but till then they need to follow what their parents suggest, not because they will achieve an overnight smartness on their 18th birthday but because their character, their habit, their direction in life is shaped in those crucial 18 years.
And unfortunately, the modern day parents are reducing to second preferences as social media is taking the first position.
Social media denting productivity and productiveness
The inception of reels and shorts has made people addictive and has significantly hurt both the productivity and productiveness —By productivity, it means how efficiently a person does their work without wasting time while by productiveness it means the inclusion of morality to lead a productive life.
So basically, the point is that there is a lot of talk about productivity but not about productiveness. To take example of that, one must realise that it is only because of social media, the online betting and trading related several application and portals gained prominence among teenagers and young professionals who have somehow believed that instead of living a value-based life one can earn more money through these ways which are legally banned in India. The money can further be spent to flaunt richness on reels.
Not only betting, social media has also become a place of online intimate dealings. One other example is using feminism and freedom of choice as pretexts to create bold content for earning money.
So these things are not only hurting productivity but also productiveness.
Is law necessary? What India needs to do
Social media was designed to cater the needs of earlier generations but over the time it has evolved to strive for the adjustment in people to remain relevant because it is the basic business model. So, the question that whether legislation is necessary or only the intra-family monitoring would do, makes no sense. Whatever checks a family puts on their front, the evolution will grasp the children until and unless there is a legislation.
But indeed the legislation should not be a result of an impulsive move rather it must reflect farsightedness. What needs to be understood here is that social media came to us as an important tool. The merits it provided need to serve us. It’s about the extra content that is problematic.
So legislation should be brought on multiple fronts. For India, firstly the government must bring a legislation of ban but that should not be a rigid one. Instead, the govt should make a rigid ban till child gains teenage, after which a strictly-monitored relaxation could be provided so that the children can get an exposure with the potential of social media that could help them in the competitive world.
This phase must come with an awareness and education regarding the pros and cons. Thereafter, as the age of 18 is achieved the youth could be made free to use the social media as they like.
Secondly, the law governing social media and the country must be in symphony. Like movies and trade, the similar censorships and regulations should govern social media’s synonymous content.
Additionally, the law should have strict punishments and penalties for any breach.
Lastly and most importantly, it is not always about the law, it’s about how society reciprocates to it. A man with a kid would have uninterrupted access to social media and India’s family structure with prominent sharing culture, the child could get exposure to unwarranted content despite laws intact.
So there is also a need to work at a societal level to cope with the ramifications of social media.
