The Australian government’s proposal to ban teenagers from social media has sparked debates about its effectiveness and potential drawbacks. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a strong advocate of the ban, believes it will help reduce teenagers’ screen time and promote physical activities.
However, media researcher Justine Humphry criticized the move, calling it a “nostalgic” attempt to recreate a screen-free childhood, which she described as unrealistic in today’s digital world.
Social media companies, including Meta, support the need to protect teenagers but argue that age restrictions should be the responsibility of smartphone makers rather than platforms.
Despite efforts to enforce age restrictions, experts warn that teenagers can easily bypass these bans using virtual private networks (VPNs). A report commissioned by the South Australian government highlighted the difficulty of enforcing such restrictions due to tech-savvy users finding ways around them.
Similarly, a 2022 trial in France showed that nearly half of the country’s teenagers could still access restricted content using VPNs. Companies like Proton VPN have seen a surge in users when such restrictions are introduced.
Attempts to restrict content on platforms like YouTube have also faced challenges. In 2021, YouTube began requiring age verification for some content, but a developer quickly created software that allowed users to bypass these restrictions.
The software, which was posted online, has been downloaded millions of times, further illustrating the challenges of enforcing age bans.
Critics, like Sydney high school student Enie Lam, argue that the ban would be ineffective. She admits to using a VPN to bypass her school’s internet restrictions and believes that while reducing social media use is important, an outright ban is unlikely to succeed. Lam, like many teenagers, believes that personal effort, rather than government-imposed restrictions, is key to managing social media use responsibly.
While the ban aims to protect teenagers, its feasibility and effectiveness are being questioned. Experts and critics alike point out that technical workarounds and the changing nature of digital engagement make enforcing such measures difficult, if not impossible.