Social media ban is not the panacea, there is need for control

Australia’sban on social media for all those under-16 years of age came into effect this week. This move has made global headlines as Australia became the first country to impose such a social media ban. As technology changes our lives in a multitude of ways, its ill-effects have also come to the fore in recent years. Social media addiction is on a rise irrespective of ages. Such addiction is particularly alarming among teenagers. Instances of young people committing suicides over trivial issues like parents not allowing use of smart phones for watching videos or playing games have been reported India. It is ditto with young people losing lives at the time of performing a dangerous act for shooting an insta reel or YouTube short. And these incidents are not limited to India alone but have become a global phenomenon. It is because of these reasons that Australia’s ban on social media has been welcomed by netizens globally. Now, it must be seen whether such a ban can be enforced effectively or not. Reports have emerged that some young people are trying to overcome such a ban by accessing social media through VPN. Meanwhile, social media company Reddit has challenged the Australian government in the High Court, arguing that age restrictions unlawfully suppress political communication and raise privacy concerns. As the case is contested in court, voices have emerged globally to follow suit. No wonder, Indian intelligentsia and social media users have started debating about such a ban at home.Digging deeper into the issue will reveal that it has many layers. While an umbrella ban on all social media usage for young people can surely help in improving their attention span, in a country like India, such a blanket ban could face several issues.

Firstly, India has one of the largest numbers of internet users. Therefore, in social media usage, India leads the race. India has the largest user base of Meta platforms like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Similar is the case for many other platforms like YouTube and X. In these platforms, a large mass of young Indians daily interact, express themselves and create. Imposing a blanket ban means they may try to circumvent the digital wall through other routes like VPN. Usually, a VPN route is not considered safe and is vulnerable to hacking. Moreover, digital penetration in India may be higher but the urban versus rural divide exists. Young people living in rural areas see social media as a gateway to the world as they see, interact and express with a global audience. Many of these social media sites are being actively used for imparting education. So, a village lad can have access to the best of teachers or material through a social media platform, which otherwise is out of bounds for him/her. Moreover, social media acts as a medium for expression for many youth- political or creative. Any ban will limit those chances.

Against this backdrop, putting a blanket ban on social media is not desirable. Rather, India can take multiple safety measures to reduce the addition-type of phenomenon. Firstly, social media platforms should be asked to implement strict age policies during opening of the account. This will ensure what kind of posts will be restricted by algorithm. Secondly, parents of youngsters should be given the option of switching off the social media sites for their children if they wish. Digital control should be in the hands of parents. Thirdly, the government should impose a huge penalty for showing objectionable or gory or sensitive material to young people. Strict implementation will restrict social media platforms to stop abusing algorithm-driven content. All-in-all, it will be better to change the bath water than throwing the baby outwith the bathwater.