Should parents be worried about social media? We asked 5 experts

The Albanese government has announced it will introduce a social media ban^[1] for children.

The government has not yet nominated a minimum age but is trialling age-assurance mechanisms for those aged 13–16. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the legislation will be introduced this year.

This follows criticism from a range of experts, who argue it will be difficult to enforce^[2] and does not take into account the positive impacts^[3] of social media for young people.

Announcing the ban on Tuesday, Albanese highlighted parental concerns^[4] about their kids being on social media.

Parents are worried sick about this. We know they’re working without a map – no generation has faced this challenge before.

Which is why my message to Australian parents is we’ve got your back. We’re listening and determined to act to get this right.

So, should parents be worried about social media? We asked five experts.

Three out of five said no.

Here are their detailed responses.

References

1. ^{^} it will introduce a social media ban (www.pm.gov.au)
2. ^{^} difficult to enforce (theconversation.com)
3. ^{^} positive impacts (theconversation.com)
4. ^{^} highlighted parental concerns (theconversation.com)