The Australian government has decided to ban access to social networks for young people under the age of 16. Is this shocking decision a good idea? We asked an expert.
13 years old. This is the minimum age imposed by most social networks on their users, without real control. Australia wants to go further, ban them for under-16s. With this measure, the country wants to prevent young people from viewing inappropriate content. Social networks are also responsible for many cases of cyberbullying.
For us, this type of ban is not on the agenda. And for Bruno Humbeeck, educational psychologist, this is rather a good thing. “They were born into a world that did not know the world without social networks. So to pretend that we can remove them from this world is completely illusory. You will create the conditions for silence, that is to say that in fact, they will go, but without talking to adults anymore if negative things happen to them. Because they know what they’re going to hear, it was forbidden, you didn’t have to go there“, he says.
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“It’s for moms and dads”: Australia to ban social media for young people under 16
Among its recommendations: raising awareness among young people, in schools, in families: “It’s both prevention and being able to manage screen time. It’s important not to demonize screens, but to ensure that screens do not overflow.“
In Australia, it is the platforms that will have to ensure that under-16s do not use their network. Is the measure technically applicable? Experts doubt it. Among the risks mentioned: that young people circumvent the legislation and that platforms take advantage of it to capture personal data.
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