Raising the age for social media usage in Australia
Have you recently heard the phrase “36 Months” in the media? The campaign has been getting a lot of attention and has both the media and government talking. The initiative advocates for extending the minimum age of social media account registration by three years, arguing that this delay would afford children additional time to develop without the influence of social media. Nova FM and News Corp (pro bono) have launched a petition in support of this cause.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has voiced his support for a movement advocating an increase in the minimum age required for social media account registration from 13 to 16 years. This endorsement stems from concerns about the effects of social media interactions on the mental well-being of young individuals. The initiative emphasises the importance of affording teenagers more time to mature without the pressures of the digital realm, underscoring the potentially harmful nature of social media interactions.
During an interview on Nova FM radio, Albanese highlighted the challenges posed by social media platforms to the development of children and adolescents. He emphasised the significance of fostering traditional forms of social engagement, urging for a shift towards outdoor activities and face-to-face interactions over excessive online engagement. Albanese underscored the potentially devastating effects of online commentary, noting its overwhelming impact on users including adults like himself.
Social media is currently used by 92% of Australian teens aged 15 to 16 years old, 59% of those aged 11 to 12 years old, and 29% of kids aged 9 to 10 years old.
Research from the University of Sydney reveals Australians aged 14 and above spend an average of six hours a week on social media, and the eSafety Commissioner’s Digital Lives of Aussie Kids reports that 12 to 13-year-olds use an average of 3.1 social media services.
Below outlines the primary concerns for parents in the USA, noting all social media platforms carry significant concern.
The 36 Months campaign has garnered broad support from state premiers in Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, and New South Wales. Independent Senator David Pocock has also voiced support, highlighting concerns about children losing their childhoods due to the addictive nature of social media platforms. Pocock noted that teachers and parents have raised concerns and called for government action.
In response to these concerns, the Australian government has allocated $6.5 million in its recent budget for an age assurance trial. This initiative, overseen by the office of the eSafety Commissioner, aims to explore effective methods for verifying users' ages on various websites, particularly those hosting adult content. However, detailed plans regarding the trial's implementation, including which sites will participate and whether social media platforms will be included, remain undisclosed.
Presently, social media platforms mandate that users be at least 13 years old to create an account, although this restriction is easily circumvented. Companies like Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, have implemented additional measures to detect underage users, such as analysing behavioral patterns and employing age verification technologies. For instance, Instagram offers age verification options such as ID uploads, video facial age estimators, or endorsements from over-18 accounts.
Image source: Unsplash
The United Kingdom has already enacted age assurance legislation, providing a potential model for Australia. This legislation mandates that adult sites verify users' ages through methods such as cross-referencing with banks or credit card companies, or requiring users to submit IDs or photos for facial age estimation. Despite being in its early stages, this approach is viewed as a robust means of ensuring age compliance.
During a previous parliamentary inquiry on online safety, Meta defended its current age limit of 13, arguing that it strikes a balance between safeguarding users' privacy, well-being, and freedom of expression.
Here at Hotglue, we asked our team for their thoughts:
Sarah Gevaux, Community Engagement Manager
It is said that Millennials are the last generation to experience a traditional childhood, with technology entering our lives as later teens. I obtained my first mobile phone at 15 or 16, a Nokia 5110 that made phone calls, sent 120 character text messages and taught us how to win at Snake. I vividly remember texting friends and recharging my prepaid account late into the night when the credit ran out mid conversation!
But 2024 exposes a very different landscape of challenges facing teens. Phones are obtained long before 15, and have access to the ENTIRE Internet.
Social media use requires maturity, some common sense, and a LOT of willpower to know when to turn it off. 13 year olds have none of these things. Admittedly, I don't think 16 year olds have these things either, but we have to draw the line somewhere, between keeping children in childhood, and teaching them responsibility about something that will affect their life everyday.
I appreciate that there will still be kids who find a way around it, much like teen smoking (and now vaping), but I feel that this is taking a step in the right direction to teach society about the dangers of addiction and what it can do to brains not yet developed enough to understand it.
Penelope Costan, Senior Social Content Strategist
Reflecting on my experience as a young teen being introduced to social media in high school, I would have benefited greatly from restricted access. I believe social media presents many challenges, distractions and added pressure to an already overwhelming self-growth period. While it can also harbour a sense of community, creativity and education, there are many other ways to seek and engage these needs offline.
Hayley Clarke, Head of Media Strategy
As a mother of a child only a year away from starting high school, the impact of social media use on young minds was brought to my attention by non-other than the principals of the schools we’d been touring. Social media (and mobile phone use) is their number one (#1!) mental health concern, and in-turn forms the priority focus for their student wellbeing support programs (particularly for those entering year seven).
Sophie Evans, Senior Social Media Manager
I am admittedly cynical about how this change would be enforced, as it is so easy to fake a birth date to get into sites and platforms. Having said that, the proposed implementation strategies could have a positive outcome.
I am all for children having childhoods, and the internet has negatively fast-tracked their development in recent years to a point where it is scary. It may be funny when we see comparison videos from when Millennials and older were thaeir age, but in truth, I find it sad that kids these days are so engrossed in devices and social media. The science and psychology proves that these behaviours will seriously impact physical, mental and social health ongoing if nothing is done to help. I hope the present and future generations thank us for making these changes one day!
As the discussion unfolds, it will be interesting to see the response from the big social media players such as TikTok and Meta. With support across the press and the government, we will be interested to see how the campaign evolves.