Criminal justice expert criticizes the prospect of a social media ban for minors – EducationHQ

“We know that social media causes social harm and keeps children away from real friends and real experiences,” said Prime Minister Albanese.

“Australian young people deserve better and I stand with them and with all Australian parents in protecting our children.”

With schools already subject to a telephone ban, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has indicated he would be willing to consider a similar age restriction in New Zealand.

But Dr. Claire Meehan, a lecturer in criminology at the University of Auckland, says a ban would not help, although she is critical of New Zealand’s online safety measures.

“In my opinion this is lazy and populist and it certainly doesn’t serve our young people.

“In fact, it does them a disservice,” says Meehan EducationHQ.

Meehan believes an age restriction would be difficult to enforce and says smart teenagers would be able to cope with it.

“We know how many children watch porn, for example, even though it is forbidden to them,” she says.

“If you ban it, it’s unrealistic to think they won’t use it. We know they will.

“But how can they seek help and support if they do get into trouble?

“They already have a barrier because you told them not to do it.”

Another side effect of a ban, says Meehan, is that it may remove any pressure on social media giants to create safer platforms.

“It’s a bit fishy because it basically gives the social media platforms, the regulators and arguably educators an excuse to be quiet and say, ‘Well, kids don’t have access to this anyway.’ So why do we have to bother…’” she says.

Meehan says limiting access only delays the problem and doesn’t give young people the tools to navigate social media safely and positively.

In Australia, a social media summit between the governments of New South Wales and South Australian has just ended.

Speech on the second day of the summit, American psychologist and author of The fearful generationDr. Jonathan Haidt thanked delegates for “leading the way in cleaning up the mess America has wrought on the world.”

He said the US Congress passed two “terrible” laws in the 1990s to support the growth of the Internet, without any barriers, providing only limited legal action over online content and not requiring strict age verification.

“With these two laws we have created monsters,” said Haidt.

“You have to kill them or at least tame them.”

The fearful generationis a New York Times bestseller and an investigation into the breakdown of young people’s mental health in the age of smartphones, social media and Big Tech.

However, Meehan maintains that social media isn’t all bad.

“… there has long been a moral panic associated with this when you think about personal hygiene or especially about young women being sexualized or exploited,” she says.

“Sometimes we forget all the positive aspects that digital technology brings.

“Children find community and have a place to make friends and develop skills.

“Even for a lot of kids, kids who might be questioning their sexual identity and things like that, it’s a place where they can ask questions in a semi-safe space.”

So instead of banning social media and doing children a “massive disservice,” Meehan advocates for better digital literacy education and for social media giants to take more responsibility.

“I think we have to keep the pressure on regulators, we have to keep the pressure on the platforms themselves, we have to keep the pressure on educators,” she says.

“The best interest of our children is not about protecting them from risk and potential harm, but about educating them and raising awareness about what is out there and giving them some important tools.”