Rethinking Australia’s Approach to Social Media for Kids

Written by Alice Njoki.

When I heard about Australia’s plan to ban kids under 16 from using social media, I couldn’t help but feel frustrated. As a young person, I understand the reasons behind this idea. Social media can be dangerous as there’s cyberbullying, creepy strangers, and all kinds of harmful stuff. But banning it completely? That feels unfair and unrealistic. Instead of cutting us off, why not help us use social media safely?

Let’s be real, technology is everywhere, and social media is a big part of our lives. We use it to connect with friends, learn new things, and share our thoughts. Sure, it’s not perfect, but shutting us out won’t make the internet safer. It just leaves us unprepared for a world that’s only getting more digital.

I recently heard about something Meta is doing, and it gave me hope. They’re creating Instagram accounts just for teens, where parents can see what we’re up to and make sure we’re safe. That’s a great idea because it’s not about taking social media away but about helping us use it responsibly. Meta is also working on making other platforms like TikTok and Snapchat safer, and I think that’s the right move.

Instead of banning us, here’s what would really help:

1. Better Age Checks: Make sure only kids our age are on these platforms, so we’re not dealing with adults pretending to be kids.
2. Stronger Privacy Tools: Give us and our parents easy ways to block bad stuff and control what we share.
3. Working Together: Let’s have parents, teachers, tech companies, and even kids like me talk about how to make social media better for everyone.

Taking social media away from us completely isn’t the answer. We need it and not just for fun, but to learn, stay connected and grow. Instead of treating it like the enemy, let’s make it a safer place. Teach us how to handle it wisely, and give us tools to protect ourselves.

We’re growing up in a digital world, and it’s not going away. Help us be ready for it. With the right support, we can use social media to do amazing things and stay safe while doing it.