Australian flag
Australia’s under-16 social media ban will make the nation a real-life laboratory on how best to tackle the technology’s impact on young people, experts say.
Those in favour of the world-first December 10 ban point to a growing mass of studies that suggest too much time online takes a toll on teen wellbeing.
But opponents argue there is not enough hard proof to warrant the new legislation, which could do more harm than good.
Adolescent brains are still developing into the early 20s, said psychologist Amy Orben, who leads a digital mental health programme at the University of Cambridge.
A “huge amount” of observational research, often based on surveys, has tracked a correlation between teen tech use and worse mental health, she told AFP.
But it is hard to draw firm conclusions, because phones are so ingrained into daily life, and young people may turn to social media because they are already suffering.
“With technology, because it’s changing so fast, the evidence base will always be uncertain,” Orben said. Punch
