Rosita Cipolla No to the use of social media if you are under 16: Australia is working on an unprecedented law worldwide to protect minors from a series of risks
@Canva
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Australia is set to vote on a revolutionary law that would ban those under 16 from social media amid this heavy debate. The Australian government blames such websites for hugely disrupting young people’s lives, setting them up for cyberbullying and low self-esteem. While social networks, including Instagram and TikTok, have minimum age limits, these are not often difficult to get around.
Against this background, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised that “world-leading” legislation would be introduced in the coming days to effectively protect minors. The draft should raise not just the minimum age limit but also improve verification methods; one of the probable solutions is biometric identification. The law is to be passed before the year is out.
But Australia is not the only country that is taking a turn toward setting restrictions on social media. For example, in Florida, such platforms will be banned for children under 14 years old starting from next year. The case of age limit protection is similarly debated by other countries, such as France.
Risks of social media among adolescents
The unregulated usage of social media throughout the teenage years has been shown to have adverse effects on the development of self-concept and to engender cyberbullying and social comparison. There is often pressure to compete for attention and likes, while early and intense social media use is linked to psychological, social, and security risks.
Negative impact on mental health
Social media has been linked to higher anxiety levels, depression, and esteem-related problems in younger users. The constant exposure to idealistic images, often surreal, may invoke feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction that further add strain to an already tenuous developmental period.
Cyberbullying and online harassment
A number of high-profile cases have pointed out that social networking sites have very much been used as a medium for cyberbullying. The victims are constantly attacked, offended by mean comments, and bombarded with harsh messages; the aftermath of such attacks is always serious on their psychology and at times drives them into isolation and post-traumatic stress disorders.
Addiction and lack of focus
Algorithms of social media are designed to keep users engaged, meaning, users end up spending more time on social media, and at times even getting themselves addicted. Development of such habits cuts down the attention span among youth that in return negatively impacts their academic performance and sleeping habits, consequently affecting their physical and mental well-being.
Privacy and security concerns
Another critical problem is the associated risk of sharing personal information, photos, and videos that might be used by hackers or predators through such networks, especially targeting susceptible adolescents.
Socialization problems in the physical world
Excessive use of social media reduces the time and quality of face-to-face interactions. Many teenagers have difficulties in face-to-face communication today because they get used to expressing themselves mainly via social media. This may be the trend that leads to lagging skills in social activities and might impede relationships and professional interactions in the future.
