Like the turn of the century's indoor smoking bans, prohibitions against youth social media use seem almost inevitable, with many countries, including Canada, looking to follow the example set by Australia last year. But in many ways, having boomer and gen X politicians regulating the online behaviour of a generation that's grown up in the digital era feels like dinosaurs trying to control the climate.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals are widely expected to introduce a new version of their online harms bill that will attempt to regulate the social media use of Canadians under 16 years of age.
The Problem with Social Media
It's an idea that sounds good in theory, and generally has high levels of support. As a semi-reformed techno-optimist, I'll be the first to admit that the internet has not lived up to its potential. Rather than vibrant forums for public debate, social media is dominated by shouting matches and flame wars. Rather than informing the masses, it's spreading conspiracy theories and radicalizing youth. Rather than bringing people together, it encourages social isolation and antisocial behaviour.
Youth, in particular, can find these platforms highly addictive, and they have been shown to contribute to higher rates of anxiety and depression. Bullying no longer ends in the schoolyard, it follows kids wherever they go. Predators exploit online platforms to prey on naive youngsters. Self-harming behaviours can spread like a virus. And large tech companies hoover up massive amounts of sensitive information about people who aren't even old enough to vote.
The Flawed Solution
Nevertheless, as much as governments would like to pretend otherwise, the internet, by its very nature, encourages pseudo-anonymity and competition. Authoritarian regimes like China get around this by installing highly sophisticated content-blocking and surveillance systems. Governments like Iran's have given themselves the ability to cut entire populations off from the rest of the world at will.
And in recent years, western democracies like the United Kingdom have used child safety to impose their own Orwellian surveillance and censorship regimes. Numerous U.S. states, along with Brazil, are trying to require computers to store age information at the operating system level. Australians are forced to submit to facial-recognition scans or send copies of their driver's licenses if they want to gain uncensored access to search results or stay in touch with their loved ones on Facebook.
For parents who are concerned about their kids' data being hoarded by big tech companies, governments and potentially malicious actors, Australia's social media ban has sent the problem into overdrive. And it doesn't appear to have been all that successful at preventing young people from using social media.
Rather than protecting youth, Carney's online harms bill risks creating a surveillance state that undermines privacy and free expression. It is a misguided approach that will do more harm than good, treating symptoms while ignoring the root causes of online harms. Parents, educators, and communities should focus on digital literacy and responsible use, not government overreach.
