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https://theconversation.com/banning-social-media-for-under-16s-wont-help-teaching-digital-media-literacy-will-233224>
"The astounding rise in social media use in the past few years is seeing policy
responses come to a head, both internationally and in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Some estimates put the number using social media globally above five billion,
with an annualised growth rate of more than 5%.
Accelerated concerns about smartphone addiction, cyberbullying, misinformation
and extremist content have often seen digital devices and social media blamed
for declines in mental and social wellbeing, in young people in particular.
The American social psychologist Jonathan Haidt calls them “the anxious
generation”, and politicians and policymakers are scrambling to respond.
This year, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy asked Congress to put warning labels
on social media, similar to health labels on cigarettes.
Along with New Zealand, governments in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom,
Italy, China and parts of the US have proposed or enforced restrictions on
phone use in schools
Now, an Australian petition to increase the minimum age of social media account
users from 13 to 16 is building traction, with more than 100,000 signatures.
Such a move is backed by the Australian and UK prime ministers. And in New
Zealand, Labour MP Priyanca Radhakrishnan and ACT Party leader David Seymour
have supported exploring the option.
But the research into protecting young people by restricting social media use
is largely inconclusive. What we do know, however, is that these measures don’t
equip young people with the skills they already need to build healthy
relationships with smartphones and social media."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
