Restricting access helps parents and guardians better guide their children’s online activities and ensure they engage with technology in a supervised way. We also need to help children and young people better navigate the online space by ensuring the national curriculum has a special focus on teaching digital literacy and online safety. Young people need to be taught to think critically about what they see online and how they engage with social media. Parents and teachers also need better tools and resources to help them provide appropriate guidance and support.
Social media refers to a means of interaction between people through which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. The Australian government has announced plans to introduce legislation that would prevent children under 16 from using social media platforms. We need to better protect children and young people online. On balance, the Australian Human Rights Commission does not believe that completely banning social media for children under 16 is the right response. There are less restrictive options available that could achieve the aim of protecting children and young people from harm online but without having such a significant negative impact on other human rights. One example of an alternative response would be to place a legal duty of care on social media companies. This would require them to take reasonable steps to make their products safe for children and young people.
Introducing a statutory duty of care would be a proactive way to increase the accountability of social media companies and improve online safety for all. The Commission understands that such a duty of care is being considered by the Government. Social media exposes children and young people to many potential risks, including cyberbullying, harmful content, and online predators. Restricting access would help protect their psychological and emotional health. Studies show that excessive use of social media can interfere with healthy brain development, sleep, and academic performance. The proposed legislation supports a safe developmental environment. Social media platforms collect large amounts of personal data from users, and children may not fully understand how their data is collected, used, or monetized. Restricting access for young users could help reduce privacy violations and the exploitation of personal data by large technology companies.
Restricting access helps parents and guardians better guide their children’s online activities and ensure they engage with technology in a supervised manner. We also need to help children and young people better navigate the online space by ensuring that the national curriculum includes a special focus on teaching digital literacy and online safety. Young people should be taught to think critically about what they see online and how they engage with social media. Better tools and resources are also needed to help parents and teachers provide appropriate guidance and support. Social networking sites enable individuals and organizations to share and exchange information at a speed unmatched by traditional promotional or educational methods. Social media has transformed the way information is shared among people. As a result, it plays an important role in promoting good governance by encouraging citizen participation in decision-making. One of the advantages of social media is that it has emerged as a powerful tool for empowerment. Social media has reduced the gap between citizens and their elected government and politicians, leading to greater participation in democracy.
The issue of the dissemination of misinformation has emerged as one of the biggest disadvantages of social media. The rise of social media has exposed many teenagers across the world to name-calling, harassment, embarrassment, humiliation, stalking, threats, and even fraud. Individuals attempt to maintain an ‘internet persona’ that presents a rosy picture of one’s life, using filters to hide parts that are not considered ‘good enough.’ Frequent social media use can alter parts of the brain that deal with emotions and learning. Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 under the Information Technology Act, 2000. All social media platforms have been asked to set up grievance redressal and compliance mechanisms, including the appointment of a resident grievance officer, chief compliance officer, and a nodal contact person. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has also asked these platforms to submit monthly reports on complaints received from users and action taken. Instant messaging apps will have to make provisions for tracking the first source of the message.
Section 79 states that no intermediary shall be held legally or otherwise liable for any third-party information, data, or communication links available or hosted on its platform. Protection is not provided if the intermediary, despite being informed or notified by the government or its agencies, does not promptly disable access to the content in question. There is a need for a comprehensive transparency law that mandates relevant disclosures by social media platforms. Additionally, content moderation and related actions such as standard setting, fact-checking, and de-platforming should be included. Regarding the mental health of adolescents, parents should be very careful while giving their children access to digital devices and discuss healthy use with them.
