Bid to ban social media for children gains momentum

State Governments around Australia are looking closely at South Australia’s move to further restrict access to social media for young people, and health experts are wholeheartedly supportive of the move becoming national.
 
The SA Government has proposed new laws that will force the companies behind social media platforms to stop anyone under 14 years old from having accounts, or risk being hit with a heavy fine.
 
In addition, the first-of-its-kind legislation would also require parental consent for children aged 14 and 15 to create an account.
 
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said the proposed laws come amid mounting concern about the adverse impact of social media on children, including its impacts on mental health and development.
 
‘Like most parents, I am concerned about the impact social media is having on children in our community,’ he said.
 
The nation-leading plan has also caught the attention of other jurisdictions, with Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan announcing late on Monday that her state would be following SA’s lead.
 
‘One of the biggest things I hear from parents is that they’re worried about their kids on social media … and it’s not just parents telling me that, it’s kids and young people too,’ she said.
 
‘Parents are trying to manage content on devices at home, but it’s hard, it’s like a social media tsunami, they feel they can’t stop.
 
‘There’s a bit more work to do, which is why we’ll be talking with parents, teachers, and kids about what should and shouldn’t be included.’
 
RACGP Specific Interests Psychological Medicine Chair Dr Cathy Andronis says she is supportive of the move becoming more prevalent among other states, telling newsGP there is a ‘definite correlation’ between exposure to social media and mental distress.
 
‘Adolescents are experiencing much higher rates of anxiety, and so we’re seeing that now, and they’re also experiencing high rates of bullying, and a lot of that happens online, via social media,’ she said.
 
‘Children and young and adolescents are spending a lot of time on social media, particularly at night, and it’s restricting their sleep.
 
‘[If] we can start to put some controls on the information that children are receiving, so they’re receiving credible, good quality information, as opposed to unfiltered, uncensored, unrestricted information online, which is mostly happening through social media, then that’s definitely going to be a good thing for their health.’
 
Last month, the largest study of its kind ever conducted examined youth mental health worldwide and concluded it has entered ‘a dangerous phase’.
 
It said that in less than two decades, there has been a 50% increase in rates of mental ill-health among Australian youth, and specifically pointed to social media as one reason for this.
 
In 2022, the headspace National Youth Mental Health Survey found 57% of young people believe their mental health is getting worse, and 42% cited social media as the main reason for the decline.
 
Dr Andronis said advocates have been calling for social media restrictions and bans for several years and has seen firsthand the impacts it can have on her patients’ health.
 
‘Most people are finding it difficult to work out how to do that, there’s a lot of reluctance by the children themselves to get to get off [social media], but we’re also noticing that parents are very concerned about the effects of social media on their kids,’ she said.
 
‘Social media is one of the prime risks that’s correlated with a lot of distress so if we can start putting controls on it, that’s a good thing.’
 
Former Chief Justice of the High Court Robert French will now conduct a legal examination of how the SA Government’s plan would be carried out and how it would be enforced in practice.
 
Paediatric GP and Chair of RACGP Specific Interests Child and Young Person’s Health, Dr James Best, says GPs can plan a crucial role in having conversations with their patients and their families about reducing risk.
 
‘As a GP, my advice to parents would be to try and restrict access to social media, because we know it can be harmful and expose them to risks, and it can expose them to mental health issues,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘How that happens is probably more a matter for government.
 
‘I do say to parents that you can restrict access, but I’ve come from a point to understanding the practicalities in our world, where there’s just so much access.’
 
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