John Flint: Australia’s social media ban for children is a long overdue punch in big tech’s face

It’s hard not to think of next week’s social media ban for children under 16 as a long overdue punch in the face of Big Tech. Apologies for the violent analogy, but two decades of outrage-baiting algorithms and have taken their toll. Whilst I have my tongue planted firmly in my cheek, I am absolutely cheering that Australia is sticking it to the behemoth platforms that have had it all their own way since a 19-year-old Mark Zuckerberg was popping zits while launching Facebook. Finally, a line in the sand has been drawn. The line might be difficult — some say impossible — to maintain, but the idea of standing up to these all-powerful, obscenely rich companies and putting the onus on them to stop harming our children is refreshing to say the least. And it is gratifying to see Australia being praised by so many countries and influential people for leading the charge, with many nations saying they are keen to follow. I am hoping it’s just the beginning of a broader fight-back. A journalist I deeply admire, who sees the bigger picture and articulates the dangers in vivid and chilling clarity, is Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa, former lead investigative reporter in Southeast Asia for CNN. The Filipino and American journalist, who endured constant political harassment and arrests by the Philippines’ former Duterte government, gave a powerful speech to Canberra’s National Press Club in September, stressing the need to regulate Big Tech. “Thank you, Australia, for your global leadership with your world first social media ban for children under 16. This landmark legislation is exactly the kind of bold action the world needs,” she said. “You’ve recognized what I’ve been saying for years. This is a safety issue, not a free speech issue.” “By placing the burden on social media companies, not parents or children, to prevent underage access, you’ve shifted responsibility where it belongs ... These platforms have been experimenting on our children’s developing brains for profit. “Your law sends a clear message. There’s a place for social media, but there is not a place for predatory algorithms targeting children.” The social media ban was exalted this week by American talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who is currently visiting Down Under. “I think you’re going to change the lives of an entire generation of kids who are going to have better lives,” Winfrey said. In New York in late September, PM Anthony Albanese told the United Nations his government’s new law wasn’t foolproof, “but a crucial step in the right direction.” European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she had been “inspired” by Australia’s “bold” move “It is obvious this is plain common sense,” she said. Meanwhile, Ressa implored Australia to not “stop there.” “Australia abandoned its proposed law aimed at tackling disinformation on digital platforms last year. This was a mistake,” she said. “You don’t really know until you’re attacked, “ added the journalist, who used to receive an average of 90 hate messages per hour. “The human rights we deserve in the physical world, we deserve in the virtual world. Platforms that profit from lies must be held accountable for the democratic damage they cause to users of all ages.” I think some of the social media platforms are aiding their own demise by simply boring or annoying the crap out of us. Remember the days when Facebook just told you what your family and friends were up to. Now it’s hard to know. When not trying to press our emotional buttons to keep us “engaged” and itself “paid”, the platform serves up endless slop and ads, which are mostly scams. And remember chuckling at your phone when you felt pretty sure that funny reel or cute animal story on Instagram was real and not AI? That scroll-time now feels hollow. Gone is the dopamine hit. As for Elon’s charmless X, it’s a great place to hangout if your idea of fun is trading insults with anonymous strangers on the other side of the world or being tugged down conspiracy rabbit holes by some basement dweller with a cabinet full of ivermectin. There’s a fantastic descriptor for this internet malaise — enshittification, named the Word of the Year by Macquarie Dictionary last year. Coined by blogger Cory Doctorow, it nails the decay as platforms eke out more profits at the expense of user experience. Macquarie’s runner-up word was a close cousin — brainrot. I realise neither the ban or anything I write here will dissuade some young teens from trying to get back onto their favourite platforms and no doubt many will succeed. But there’s a good chance the vast majority can now enjoy extra years without the anxiety, depression, poor body image, sleep disruption, online bullying and other negative impacts. Let’s never surrender data sovereignty to the tech giants, especially where our children our concerned.