Demystifying the Teen Social Media Ban
Articles and Interviews
Australia’s dummy spit over kids on social media isn’t the answer. We need an internet for children.
The Guardian Australia, 10/10/24
DMRC researcher Aleesha Rodriguez explains, in an opinion column for The Guardian, why Australia’s social media age ban is a distraction from the need to develop of high-quality experiences online for children of different ages.
PM announces plan to enforce minimum age for social media use
ABC News, 14/09/24
The Prime Minister has announced a plan to enforce a minimum age requirement for children accessing social media. Dr Aleesha Rodriguez from QUT says the digital world should be made safer for children rather than barring them from it completely.
Has the government jumped the gun on age limits for social media?
Anthony Albanese has today announced an as-yet-undefined ban on younger teenagers and children from accessing social media before the next election.
ABC Radio National – Drive, 10/09/24
The announcement has been met with outrage by some digital media and mental health experts who argue a blanket ban will do little to protect children and will instead let social media companies off the hook. Professor Daniel Angus, Director of the Digital Media Research Centre at Queensland University of Technology discusses.
Should parents be worried about social media? We asked 5 experts
The Conversation, 11/09/24
The Albanese government has announced it will introduce a social media ban for children. The government has not yet nominated a minimum age but is trialling age-assurance mechanisms for those aged 13–16. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the legislation will be introduced this year. This follows criticism from a range of experts, who argue it will be difficult to enforce and does not take into account the positive impacts of social media for young people.
Read more: https://theconversation.com/should-parents-be-worried-about-social-media-we-asked-5-experts-238772
An age ban on social media is unworkable – what are the alternatives?
Australian Academy of the Humanities, 10/2024
There’s been much talk recently about whether children under 18 should be banned from accessing social media. Many claim social media negatively impacts children’s wellbeing. But is exclusion the answer? What are the other solutions? Professor Axel Bruns FAHA from QUT Digital Media Research Centre and Dr Aleesha Rodriguez from the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child examine how we can keep children safe online — while still upholding their rights to information and education.
Social media bans discussed in classrooms as TikTok reveals a million underage accounts were ‘removed’ from platform
ABC News, 09/10/24
While politicians are weighing up options for limiting social media use among young children, students themselves are already proactively taking steps. At one school, students are learning how spending time away from certain digital platforms can help them do other things.
Letter to Prime Minister and Premiers Re: Proposed social media bans for children under 16-years old
Australian Child Rights Task Force, 09/10/2024
We write to you about the proposal to ‘ban’ children from social media until the age of 16-years-old. We understand the risks that social media has for children and young people,
and these are well documented. Addressing those risks requires a careful and evidence-based response that acknowledges the role that the digital world plays in contemporary childhood.
Read more: https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2024-10/apo-nid328608.pdf
Podcasts
Creating a better children’s internet with Aleesha Rodriguez – Read Them Sideways
Read Them Sideways podcast, 02/09/24
In this episode of Read Them Sideways, your host Sam Vilkins chats with Dr Aleesha Rodriguez, a research fellow at QUT. They work within the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child and research the often-overlooked demographic of children aged from birth to eight and their experiences on the internet. Read Them Sideways is a new podcast series from the Digital Media Research Centre, bringing our researchers to the spotlight to discuss issues that relate to communications, digital media, internet studies, and much more.
Policy Submissions
QUT DMRC Submission to the Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society
QUT ePrints, 08/2024
As a leader in social media, communications, digital humanities, and social science research globally, the Digital Media Research Centre (DMRC) welcomes the opportunity to make this submission to the Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society. Our submission is detailed and extensive: our investment in this contribution reflects the level of importance we assign to this inquiry and the need to provide the latest scientific evidence to policymakers. In brief, we have deep concerns about the framing of this inquiry, the flawed assumptions inherent in the terms of reference, and some of the unintended pernicious outcomes that could result for Australian users of digital communication tools, and particularly for young and already marginalised people.
Read more: https://eprints.qut.edu.au/251522/
QUT DMRC Witnesses to Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society
Parliament of Australia, 01/10/24
Professor Michael Dezuanni and Dr Tim Graham represent the QUT Digital Media Research Centre.
Read more: Hansard