Kim Macdonald: We need to world-proof our children because it is impossible to child-proof the world

I would be ecstatic if my six-year-old daughter did not get on social media for a decade — but I understand why some parents are not pleased about the planned ban for children and young teens. The parents of neurodivergent children are upset to see their kids lose a forum which — generally speaking — has opened up a world of friendship. For them, screens do not overload their senses in the same way that parties can. Online forums do not constantly tell them their social skills are lacking because they have trouble maintaining eye contact, or any manner of other anxiety-induced quirks. One of my Facebook buddies explained how important social media was to his son, who has ADHD and who does not have friends in Perth. His friends are in California, Georgia and other parts of the world. They are strong and important friendships with like-minded people, made and built on social media. The problem with the Federal Government’s planned ban on social media for under 16-year-old children is that those it would protect may well find a way around it, leaving it to punish those who genuinely benefit from online forums. That is not to say social media should be left to continue unabated. In fact, I believe today’s generation of social media users are like the smokers of the 1930s — we are guinea pigs. Society is yet to fully understand the full potential impact of this phenomenon, just like the smokers of the Thirties who thought it was hip and healthy to suck on tar. I had some insight into potential damage a few years ago when I set my new Instagram feed to discover new make-up and beauty products. Eager to keep my perspective in check, I followed an equal number of pages addressing poverty and global injustice. Juxtaposing the two extremes on my feed for 20 minutes a night left me feeling so unsettled and anxious that within a few weeks, I was unable to sleep properly. Even with my media-savvy mindset, it took more than a month to figure out that witnessing these two worlds collide on my screen was the cause of my nightly anguish. I can only imagine the impact that experience would have had on a young brain that was still being formed. But young people have to contend with a lot more than mixed messages and rampant consumerism on social media. They also have to face frenemies posting about exclusive parties with the in-crowd, not to mention catfishers, identity fraudsters, scammers, bullies and sexual predators. Tech giants need to impose greater controls, like an instant lifetime ban for anyone who tells another person to kill themselves. Tech companies also need to make parental controls much more user-friendly. The Government should also support parents with campaigns to limit kids’ online usage, much like the genuinely useful adverts which encourage them to say no to teen drinking. Ultimately, parents need to take control, with restrictions and conversations about online predators, bullying and the false presentations of influencers. Parents need to lead by example, showing children that to have a broad experience of life, you need to live most of it offline. They need to teach their children that much like advertising, there is not necessarily any truth in posts from bloggers and content creators. They need to be taught when and how to file an official complaint against another social media user. These online issues will be waiting for them when they turn 16. As one Facebook friend said, we need to world-proof our children, because it is impossible to child-proof the world.