The Australian government has a social media ban for anyone under the age of 16, extending to popular platforms such as TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook. Includes imposing age verification (age assurance) that could compromise user privacy. There's a rising concern that this move inhibits the youths' freedom of expression and their right to be engaging digital citizens. According to The Guardian, the average age of social media users is around 10-12 years, implying that this ban would affect millions of young minds, robbing them of their digital voices. Let's urge the lawmakers to uphold children's rights to digital engagement and learning while ensuring a safer and more inclusive social media environment for them. A ban is not the solution. Education is. 

·       Banning YouTube would be the modern equivalent of banning children from libraries because there’s a few books not suitable for children

·       The under-16 social media ban, promoted by News Corp's "Let Them Be Kids" campaign, is criticized for oversimplifying the link between social media and youth mental health, risking privacy with intrusive age verification (age assurance), ignoring the benefits of social media for connection and support, and being impractical to enforce, as it could push underage users to the dark web or other unregulated platforms, potentially exposing them to far greater risks, while also reflecting hypocrisy given News Corp's history of publishing potentially harmful content.

·       Age verification (age assurance) is problematic because it raises significant privacy and data security risks, is often ineffective as determined users can bypass it, risks excluding marginalized users, may push young people to dangerous unregulated platforms like the dark web, creates a chilling effect on participation, and faces major implementation challenges, ultimately failing to address the core issues.

·       Professor Susan Sawyer, University of Melbourne’s Geoff & Helen Handbury chair in adolescent health, said her research had not found evidence conclusively linking social media to mental illness in young Australians.

·       Youth anti-bullying organisation Project ROCKIT CEO Lucy Thomas argued against the ban, quoting young Australians who spoke about how social media had helped them.

·       Social media is integral to modern communication and socialisation. Excluding young people from these platforms may isolate them from their peers and limit their ability to ability to access much-needed information and support. This is particularly important for young people from marginalised, vulnerable or remote communities.

·       Social media ban risks unwanted consequences and isolation for young people with disabilities

Please Sign This Petition To Repeal Australia's Social Media Ban for Under-16s