The South Australian government is considering banning children under the age of 14 from social media in a landmark proposal to protect youth mental health.
SA premier Peter Malinauskas has detailed the state’s proposed ban, which would follow in the footsteps of Florida lawmakers who banned children aged under 14 from using platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
The framework would also see South Australian children aged 14 and 15 need parental consent before signing up to social media.
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Former federal court judge and lawyer Robert French was tasked with looking into how the ban would be enforced in SA.
In his report, French suggested a regulator oversee the new legislation, monitor compliance, take complaints and issue fines for companies which allow breaches.
The regulator could also seek significant penalties and orders through the Supreme Court under French’s proposal.
If approved, the legislation would be the first of its kind in Australia.
Malinauskas said the proposed ban was born out of deep concern for the mental health of young people across the state.
“Like most parents, I am concerned about the impact social media is having on children in our community,” he said in a statement.
“We are seeing mounting evidence from experts of the adverse impact of social media on children, their mental health and development.
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“I am determined to ensure as a government we are doing everything we can to protect our children.”
Sonya Ryan OAM, the founder and chief executive of the Carly Ryan Foundation, lost her daughter Carly, 15, in 2007 after she was killed by a predator she met online.
Ryan said she supported Malinauskas’s proposal to enforce stricter laws on how young people use social media.
“Children are exposed to harmful content, including dangerous viral trends, pornography, online predators looking to sexually exploit them, cyberbullying and sextortion,” she said.
“Numerous studies show that social media use among young children is linked to adverse effects, including unrealistic expectations and perceptions which can lead to severe depression, anxiety, inadequate sleep, low self-esteem, poor body image, eating disorder behaviours and online harassment.”
Ryan added: “In my opinion the only way forward is to create appropriate legislation to protect our children from these harms and regulate big tech companies to include mandatory age verification across all platforms.”
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