When tech billionaires restrict their kids’ social media use, why shouldn’t we? – Editorial

We know that too much social media use is polluting the minds of our children.

Editorial

THREE KEY FACTS

• Australia has passed laws banning children under 16 from using social media, with other countries considering similar measures.
• National MP Catherine Wedd is introducing a bill to ban under-16s from social media in New Zealand.
• Prime Minister Christopher Luxon supports more measures to protect children online, but internal government differences exist.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that copious hours of social media and screen time are polluting the minds of our children.

Jurisdictions around the world are finally doing something about it.

Australia’s Parliament passed the world’s strictest laws, which will ban children under 16 from using social media. Texas recently passed state legislation that prevents under-18s from social media, while the UK, European Union and Canada are all working on similar laws.

In an editorial for this newspaper last month, we made the argument that we were collectively losing the battle to protect our kids from online harms.

Yesterday, we learned we were finally doing something.

National MP Catherine Wedd said she is introducing a new member’s bill to ban children under 16 from accessing social media platforms in New Zealand.

“Right now, we aren’t managing the risks for our young people well,” the mum of four said.

Parents and school leaders have been ringing the alarm bell for a while now. They need help.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he hears them and felt “very strongly” about doing “a lot more to keep our kids safe from harm”.

“We have restrictions to keep our children safe in the physical world, but we don’t have the equivalent restrictions in the virtual world, and we should.”

So then, why are we leaving this bill to the chance of being drawn from the biscuit tin?

Luxon’s Government has already implemented a hugely successful and popular cellphone ban in schools.

Could it be a difference of ideology within the coalition? Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden has previously said she won’t introduce age limits for social media.

“I am not considering a law change to ban social media for those under 16 or require certain internet filters in New Zealanders’ private homes. I believe decisions about internet use are best made by parents, as each family is different,” she told the Herald.

Parents are of course the front line of defence but they desperately need some reinforcements. After all, they are trying to find solutions to problems created by some of the most powerful companies in human history.

Wedd said her bill would put the onus on social media companies to verify someone is over the age of 16. It would be in-step with Australia, where the ban is yet to take effect but companies found to be failing to comply could be fined up to A$49.5 million ($53.6m).

How and whether these restrictions will ultimately be enforceable is yet to be seen.

But what we do know is social media companies don’t have our children’s best interests at heart. What they want is their algorithms to suck up our kids’ attention and time using whatever warped content is available.

The co-founder of Facebook, now Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, famously restricted the screen and social media time for his children and hides their faces in photos on Instagram.

Bill Gates has expressed similar concerns and put an age restriction on smartphones for his kids, while former social media executives have talked about a strict ban on using social media altogether.

When the world’s tech billionaires are limiting their children’s social media exposure until a suitable age, why shouldn’t we?

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