Anthony Albanese: Ban on Social Media for Teens.

For a long time, I have felt there should be a ban on young people under 16 having access to social media. One Australian advocate and supporter, Wayne Holdsworth, lost his son due to malicious events on social media. Mr. Holdsworth described the ban as "As a start". Mr. Holdsworth became an age restriction advocate after losing his son, as described. Mr. Holdsworth is not the only one backing the ban. Many Australian families have also backed Prime Minister Albanese's ban. I think from a moral point of view, it is a good thing. However, as Mr. Albanese has pointed out, "It will not be easy".

X and other social media platforms will have mixed feelings about this. Yes, they themselves are supposed to police which postings or engagements younger people under 16 are supposed to have access to. There are parental controls on social media; however, how effective they are is open to question. Especially, as kids these days, even the youngest are highly intelligent and tech-savvy, able to circumvent these controls. However, the ban has encouraged pushback from Anthony Albanese's followers on TikTok. Overnight, after the ban was announced, 6,000 followers stopped following the Australian Prime Minister. One disgruntled adult who must let their kids have free rein on the net said, "Just wait until we're able to vote". Another one said, "We're still here". Make of that what you will.

Kids or younger teenagers can circumvent the ban, it has been revealed. By using fakery such as doctoring pictures to make themselves look older. Or by using their parents' identities to be able to engage with things that their age range should not be watching. One report said a young teen who was unable to gain access to a sight they probably shouldn't be watching because of the ban now in force, was "distraught". And my reaction to that is as Battery Sgt Major Tudor Bryn "Shutup" Williams used to say in an old British comedy called "It Aint Half Hot Mum" "Oh dear, what a shame"!!!

And the above is the crux of the problem: kids under 16 have gotten used to screens. phones, laptops, iPads, tablets, etc, have become a part of kids' lives. They use this tech both for education in the classroom and for leisure at home. And while there is nothing wrong with kids using the net for pleasure or interest, the question has to be asked, "What are they looking at"? And the second question is: "How much control do the parents have over what their offspring are watching"? Even seemingly innocent things, like those on YouTube supposedly for kids, can seem inappropriate.

Now, the internet and what it shows and what you can access are out of Pandora's box; it's not going back into the box. This system of communication, propaganda, whatever, will be with us forever now. For young kids, teens, and adults to be with our devices now and what we watch is like being without an extra limb. You have many across the age range now who cannot function with their devices. I can understand if you run a business, if you are studying or if you use it as an unharmful interest. However, the downside is malevolent individuals, groups, and countries out there that are up to no good on platforms such as TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram, etc. It's bad enough when individual adults, governments, companies, etc, get lured in or hacked. But it is even more tragic when young, impressionable minds face this.

I wish the Australian Prime Minister all the best in trying to enforce the ban. He has one hell of a battle ahead, and if he can be successful in this, maybe it is the template for other countries to follow and enact.