100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

Jane Stephens: dial up more control over when kids are exposed to social media

Do you have a news tip? Click here to send to our news team.

Fate of attractions: the demise of once-popular tourist haunts

Visitors to the Sunshine Coast these days will never know the wonders of a wall of bottles or hear their voices bounce around a More

‘Strong inquiries’ for takeaway site following bakery rejection

A vacant fish and chip shop is up for lease following a failed attempt to transform the site into a bakery. Trading as a takeaway More

Fishers urged to avoid problem bait

Fishers are being reminded not to use raw imported prawns as bait, due to the risk of spreading a highly contagious virus affecting crustaceans. Raw More

Bigger and better: grocery store’s $3m expansion complete

A Sunshine Coast grocery store has been revamped with a fresh new look and an expanded range. White’s IGA Mooloolah underwent a 12-month $3 million More

Memories of Sunshine Coast uploaded to digital library

Thousands of images by a photographer who snapped people and places on the Sunshine Coast for more than 30 years are now available for More

B2B: Do you know how your Will works?

A person who makes a Will must have testamentary capacity. This means the person understands the nature and effect of making a Will and understands More

At 18, you get to vote and drink alcohol.

At 17, you get to drive a car on your own.

And if a growing movement gets its way, at age 14, you might get to have a phone.

That is not a typo. Fourteen. Year 8 – many years later than most kids today, with many digitally booting up well before the end of Primary school.

Noises are getting louder that those parents who have buckled under the pressure and hooked their kids up have possibly consigned them to other things too: addiction, poor self-esteem, physical ill-health and lousy sleep habits.

Former Facebook (Meta) senior manager Frances Haugen, who turned whistleblower and leaked thousands of documents exposing the inner workings of her employer, says mental and physical illness are collateral damage for platforms whose weapons are algorithms and notifications and whose eyes are fixed solely on the almighty dollar.

They knew what they were doing caused harm and did it anyway, she says.

Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb.

While in Australia for a security conference, Haugen warned that we are lagging behind other countries in combating social media harms.

In the US, a growing number of schools make ‘wait for 8’ pledges that means kids cannot have phones until Year 8.

Many children have access to social media. Picture: Shutterstock.

Last week, the Florida Governor signed in laws banning children under 14 from having social media accounts, even if their parents consented.

The nation’s state premiers are all for the federal government wresting back control, uniting to sing from the same song sheet last week.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles says social media companies have no regard and no responsibility for the material posted or the consequences of it.

And when that means criminals have a place to boast about their exploits and children are being sickened by the high-volume, low-nutrient drivel that flows on their feed, something must be done, he says.

But what?

Put a speedbump in the information superhighway? Issue fines to social media platforms for allowing treachery and naughtiness? Retrofit laws to thwart the algorithms?

It has all been tried before and found wanting.

Too bad the horse bolted a generation ago.

But we must explore ways to claw back some control, for the sake of the children.

Dr Jane Stephens is a UniSC journalism lecturer, media commentator and writer.

 

Subscribe to SCN’s free daily news email

Hidden
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
[scn_go_back_button] Return Home
Share