Recently, Australia passed a bill that bans social media for people the ages of 16 and below. This is a huge step when it comes to social media laws and a first step for social media companies to realise that maybe they are going overboard. It implies to all tech giants from Facebook to TikTok. If this law has been breached, companies would have to pay fines that are up to A$49.5 million (€30.5m). We should ask this question to ourselves: Should we also control social media for the younger generation here in Ireland?
Spotlight
Social media has always been under the spotlight. What started as a way of simply connecting with your friends and family worldwide, has turned into this evil place where everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Let’s start with age. When a person signs to with these platforms, there is no such strict measure to verify the age, and even if they do, anyone can lie on the internet. This is extremely dangerous because it allows any child or teen to start an account, and since the content isn’t tailored for any specific age group, it assumes that you are mature enough to use the platform.
When a person sees a content that they like, the natural response would be to see more, and the scrolling begins”
Viscous content has started to surface more on these platforms, promoting hate, racism, inappropriate content, spreading misinformation, dividing culture, causing body dysmorphia, and should I go on? Imagine a teenager who hasn’t fully matured, grabbing hands on such content. They would believe this is what the world looks, and talks like, and automatically would want to join in with the conversation to fit in. This is fearfully destructive for society.
Social media gives a dopamine effect while scrolling endlessly. When a person sees a content that they like, the natural response would be to see more, and the scrolling begins. The younger generation that uses social media are more likely to fall into depression, and this is due to the factors of reaching some sort of fake achievement that they feel when receiving dopamine. What children and teenagers see online would become their new identity, hiding under a mask that isn’t them. See influencers and even their friends showing off the little fun they are having, which everyone knows isn’t true happiness.
The question would be asked, “why can’t I be like them?” And to explain to a child who hasn’t fully understood the world that not everything you see online is true will be a difficult conversation to have. Eating disorder are the new plague that is ruining the lives of younger people. Comparing themselves to celebrities or social media influencers – some of these influencers take some sort of medication and have professional camera and lighting work to look that certain way.
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is another dangerous problem that is increasing by the day. It has reached a point where people’s images and other personal information is being used as a form of blackmail.
The act of scrolling is inspired by slot machines in casinos”
The spread of misinformation is also causing lots of headlines, creating and promoting hate, and children don’t need much of talking to be influenced by. As seen recently in many countries, the target audience for such information to be spread are children and teenagers, as they can be easily manipulated.
The act of scrolling is inspired by slot machines in casinos. Similar to how a person wants to get more out of these machines after winning one round, a person scrolling feels the same way. Once the algorithm gives the person one good content, the dopamine hits and the next content wouldn’t be the same, which hooks the user and keeps them engaged, scrolling to find the next dopamine hit.
Vatican
The Vatican has clearly stated the usage of social media is harmful in all aspects for the younger generation. Pope Francis stated in 2022, that as Catholics, we should counter lie, toxicity, and misinformation with educating and engaging with this content and spreading a positive message. The Church can use these platforms to promote different activities, and youth groups can come together and promote positive content that aligns with healthy and mindfulness for younger people. Many priests have started using social media to educate the younger generation on questions of faith and even funny content that showcases that the Church is a fun and inclusive place, where everyone is welcome.
Governments should start having stricter rules for younger generation social media usage”
Parents will need to start monitoring what Apps can be installed on phones until they are mature. Many smartphones have a ‘parent mode’ setting, and this allows the phone to only show child-friendly content, passcodes to download apps, and control screen time. And as highlighted at the start of the article, governments should start having stricter rules for younger generation social media usage. Each move a person makes on the internet, they watch you, feeding the algorithm with more and more. There is a famous saying which is related to this issue, ‘If the product is free, that means you are the product’.
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Rohith Kinattukara is a Catholic student from Griffith College Dublin studying MSc in Procurement and Supply Chain Management who loves to write and breathes tech.