One might expect a college student to feel threatened by a potential social media ban. But if you ask one, that’s not always the case.
Australia’s parliament approved a ban on social media use by young people under age 16. On Monday, USC sophomore Elsie Lawless told Annenberg Radio News that she fully supports the idea.
“Yeah, I feel like people are way too young using social media already, so I think it’s cool that they’re like implementing that,” said Lawless, who is majoring in human biology. “I feel like a ton of little kids are on TikTok and stuff, which is super dangerous for them.”
The Australian ban was announced on Thursday, Thanksgiving in the United States, which is typically a slow news day.
The details of the ban remain vague, and questions remain over how it would be enforced. There are indications that platforms like YouTube and WhatsApp will be exempt.
According to The New York Times, experts have raised concerns over the practicality of the law. Critics of the ban also believe the law doesn’t hold social media companies accountable.
Jason Greenblatt, a sophomore majoring in business administration, said he likes the idea of such a ban becoming law in the U.S. as well. But he thinks that it might cause problems.
“Passing something like that would probably create a lot more political strife that would lead to even bigger issues,” Greenblatt said.
Under current U.S. law, social media platforms are usually restricted from admitting users who are younger than 13.
Some students would prefer that the U.S. show more patience before pulling the trigger on a ban stateside. Kevin Guo, a sophomore majoring in philosophy, politics and economics, urges caution.
“I think I’d like to wait and see how it works in Australia,” Guo said. “You know, I’ve had social media from a young age, and don’t think it’s affected me negatively in any way.”
Other students disagree; some say they would favor a social media ban here dropped to age 14 as opposed to 16.
But some students don’t think a ban is necessary. Simone Cimolato, a graduate student majoring in astronomical engineering, made this analogy:
“Just because you can run over people, we shouldn’t ban cars, and so I don’t think we should ban social media either,” Cimolato said.