The world’s first social media ban for children aged under 16 comes into force in Australia on December 10th. The move is being watched closely by policy-makers but most especially by parents around the globe.
Are you an Irish mother or father living in Australia and raising children aged under 16? We’d like to hear your experience of the reality on the ground as the ban comes into force. You can use the form below, email your views or arrange an interview by contacting abroad@irishtimes.com.
From Wednesday, platforms the Australian government has deemed to be included in the social media ban will need to deactivate all accounts for users under 16 and prevent those users from holding an account until after they turn 16.
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, YouTube, Reddit, Twitch and Kick were named in the initial list of apps to be included in the ban.
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Beyond the headlines, many are left wondering what will the impact be on the ground? How are children reacting? Are there device battles looming in households from Coogee to St Killda or are parents breathing collective sighs of relief?
Will the ban have the desired impact or will teens simply work around the rules?
How to verify age is ultimately up to the platform to decide. The Australian government requested that ID cannot be the only form of age check.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, would not disclose how it plans to determine which users it “understands” to be under 16, arguing that would potentially alert teens on how to avoid the ban.
Snapchat will use account behavioural signals and the birth date people list on the account to determine those who are believed to be under 16.
If children migrate to other services like Lemon8 after the ban, they could be added to the list. Platforms such as Roblox, YouTube Kids, Google Classroom, and LinkedIn are exempt.
Do you think the ban will help your children? Do you think it should be considered for teens in Ireland?
You can let us know what you think using the form below or by contacting abroad@irishtimes.com. Please limit your submissions to 400 words or less. Please include a phone number for verification purposes only. If you would prefer to remain anonymous, please indicate this in your submission – we will keep your name and contact details confidential.
We will curate a selection of submissions for an article but please note we may not publish every submission we receive.
Additional reporting Guardian News & Media
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