Sixteen-year-old Leonardo Puglisi started his online news channel 6 News when he was just 11 years old.
He’s been horrified at the federal bipartisan support for banning social media for children under the age of 16.
“I only turned 16, late last year, so really, none of this at all would have been possible, not the interviews with three prime ministers, not the countless breaking news we’ve reported, not all the exclusives we’ve broken, none of that would be possible with this kind of ban,” Puglisi said.
Puglisi said if people under 16 were barred from social media, they’d struggle to see content for them, made by kids like them.
“They would be missing out on seeing people their age or around their age, presenting the news, telling it and advertising it towards young audiences without being patronising or condescending to them,” he said.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has pledged to ban under 16s from social media within 100 days if the Liberals win government.
As debate rages over a possible ban, the government continues to work towards an age verification trial. The $6.5 million pilot will test the effectiveness of age assurance technologies — including on social media.
“There’s a lot that we can do and the technology is trending in our favour to make sure that we can deal with the scale of the problem,” he said this week.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese supports the idea too, but concedes enforcement could prove challenging. He said bans could be a positive way forward if they were effective.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher agreed but said the ban needed to be further investigated, to look into what would fill that space for young people.
“When you ban something it doesn’t mean people’s interest wanes or that children are all of a sudden are not going to have access to that information which is why this trial is important,” she said.
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‘I doubt they’ve consulted with someone under the age of 30’
There have also been questions over how age verification would work in conjunction with global social media companies.
The federal government committed $6.5 million to “conduct a pilot of age assurance technology to protect children from harmful comment” at the start of May, as part of a broader package to combat gendered violence.
However, officials at the communications department said social media platforms would not be asked to test any technologies, and indicated they would not be developing any technology to trial.
Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said social media companies would be able to “find a way” to implement a proposed social media ban on people under 16.
“The tech companies, when asked to do this under a legal framework, will find a way. I don’t think it’s that they are saying they can’t do it, I think they’re reluctant to do it,” she said.
Puglisi said the possible social media approaches to a ban he has heard of, including having to upload identification, just “wouldn’t work”.
“People have hacking concerns, people have privacy concerns, and I don’t think people will want to hand over all their Medicare or passport information to a social media platform, it’s not going to work,” he said.
“I really doubt that many of the people who have proposed this have consulted with someone under the age of 30.”
A more nuanced discussion required, head of online safety regulator says
ESafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant said authorities needed to be clear on what constitutes “social media” before implementing bans and a more nuanced discussion was required before it could be introduced.
“They’re not just posting to Facebook or Instagram. They’re using ephemeral media, group text, gaming platforms, dating platforms.
“Is that what we mean by social media… and if so and we’re giving our kids smartphones with these apps on it …how how do we control that?,” she told the ABC.
Ms Inman-Grant said there needs to be more digital literacy and education for parents.
“We want parents to co-parent… to be partners with our kids and having those conversations not letting them on social media before they’re ready. So, this is really a parental empowerment issue as well,” she said.
Puglisi said that education on both the parent-child and teenager side, which didn’t speak down to the younger person, could be an alternative way forward.
“If you genuinely explained some of the dangers and the content out there, and explain that in a meaningful way that, you know, doesn’t appear condescending or patronising. I think that it just helped the situation,” he said.
“And that might encourage these teenagers on their own volition and on their own beliefs, to not get a social media account at a certain point.
“A blanket ban. I just don’t see it as the answer, or I don’t see it as practical at all.”