Opinion Piece: The Proposed Social Media Ban

In May 2024, the South Australian government announced their intention to potentially prevent children under the age of 14 from accessing social media, and requiring parental consent for 14 and 15 year olds to use social media platforms.

The ban comes as reports of increased mental health concerns stemming from social media use have peppered mainstream media outlets for the first half of the year. There have been vocal advocates for and against the ban, and the Hub Interns have some thoughts:

 Megan

The proposed ban on social media for young people under 14 has potential benefits, but it also poses significant risks. Such a ban may shift the responsibility for monitoring and preventing the dangers of social media from adults to young people. The ban also overlooks the perspectives of many young people and has the potential to increase feelings of isolation. Social media can be a valuable communication tool and a space for finding communities when used responsibly. Banning it would remove the possibility of inclusive group chats, especially given issues like Android and Apple phones not being able to have group chats together. As someone who has experienced exclusion due to having an Android phone, I know how isolating it can be to miss out on group activities.

In a society increasingly reliant on technology, learning to use social media responsibly under the guidance of adults is crucial for young people. The Malinauskas Government’s plan to ban social media for young people under 14 mirrors previous attempts to ban phones in classrooms. The South Australian government is failing to teach responsible behaviour and instead opting for the easier route of banning valuable resources. Teaching young people how to navigate social media safely and
responsibly would be a more effective approach than outright bans.

Chelsea

Ah yes, the social media ban at least for people under 16, my thoughts on it? Mixed for sure…Weirdly, my life experience would just about squeeze into the ban: I didn’t get a phone until I started high school and walked home independently and was only allowed social media such as Instagram at 16. Which to be honest didn’t make much difference to my ‘screen trajectory’.  Do I still have a minor screen addiction like my peers who had a phone since 7 or 8? Do I have a significant anxiety disorder that’s probably worse than my peers? Yes. But I do think I am more acutely aware of my usage than most which I guess could be a hidden benefit.

Overall though it was pretty hard going through the end of primary school where people were popular because of social media and I was weird because I couldn’t relate to them nor had any other communities on the internet to escape to.

My main criticism is how on earth can the South Australian government enforce a blanket ban like that? Not even the platforms themselves can do it! And access to communication channels during adolescence can be beneficial for some people especially those who are already marginalised within their close circles. This was the same problem with the phone ban, it didn’t feel thought through, especially when there are people who might need to contact their parents or carers during school.

To me, blanket bans are likely to have significant gaps in enforcement and don’t consider the needs of young people outside of the ordinary teen.

Zane

Premier Malinauskas’s decision to explore a ban on social media access for young people under 14 years of age, will censure youth culture and attack the freedoms of young people.

Social media does play a role in worsening the wellbeing of young people, but, it has also been a sphere of connection and culture which brings young people from all walks of life together. Things like memes, Tik-Toks trends and even doom scrolls are inevitable events of adolescence, providing space for young people to express themselves.

An outright ban on social media will be costly and unjustifiably target young people, while also being impractical to implement. Young people are smart and can circumvent these restrictive bans, which will only encourage rule-breaking in young teenagers.

Instead of banning social media, perhaps Premier Malinauskas and the government should prioritise working with social media companies to improve the wellbeing and safety of their users.