Editorial: Is it time for NZ to ban social media for children under 16?

New Zealand children are being exposed to disturbing online content – so is it time to introduce a social media ban for people under the age of 16? Photo / NZ Herald

Editorial

EDITORIAL

The disturbing and dark content Kiwi kids are being exposed to online has again hit headlines.

And again, it has signalled the need for both billion-dollar social media companies and parents to step up and take greater responsibility.

It also raises questions regarding whether New Zealand should follow Australia’s strong lead and ban children under 16 from the platforms to protect them from any online harm.

Documentarian Nadia Maxwell conducted an experiment to see how quickly things took a sinister turn by setting up a TikTok account for a “13-year-old girl”.

Choosing innocent, typical teenage interests like animals, netball and Taylor Swift didn’t stop the social media platform’s algorithm from fetching and displaying “harrowing” suicide-related content within 22 minutes the account being set up.

“It was a very, very harrowing experiment,” said Maxwell.

Social media has seemingly become an integral part of our daily lives, including those of many young people.

It is how they connect with their friends and stay up to date with things happening in the world.

But with the various types of adult and potentially harmful content easily encountered online, including that depicting aggressive and violent behaviour, sexually aggressive material and self-harm videos, should we even be taking the risk with our children?

Earlier this month, Australia moved to ban children under 16 from social media, saying the pervasive influence of platforms like Facebook and TikTok is “doing real harm to our kids”.

“This one is for the mums and dads. Social media is doing real harm to kids and I’m calling time on it,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said regarding the proposed laws, which are yet to be finalised.

Several recent studies across the ditch have drawn a link between teenage mental health distress and high levels of social media use.

In New Zealand, the current minimum age to legally access most social media platforms is 13.

Cellphones were finally banned in classrooms this year in a move roundly welcomed by school teachers, principals and parents, with widespread evidence that pupils are more engaged with their studies, their peers, and the world around them.

Dr Samantha Marsh, a senior research fellow in the Department of General Practice and Primary Care at Auckland University, believes it’s high time we followed Australia’s example and restricted individuals under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms.

“We shouldn’t be giving kids a product that’s been shown to harm their wellbeing and then expect them to use it responsibly or hold themselves accountable for their usage,” she wrote in the Herald earlier this month.

“Just as we don’t expect kids to have healthy relationships with other addictive products, the same should apply to social media.”

Growing up, the world can seem a big and scary place. Adding to those young people’s fears and potential dangers through phones and devices is highly irresponsible and unnecessary.

It’s high time New Zealand takes the plunge and seriously considers whether it should follow Australia’s lead.