San Francisco Frontiers - Teen news boss criticises Australian social media ban

Leo Puglisi, 17, is uniquely placed to judge the new law -- he founded what claims to be the only national news streaming platform run by teens.

Based in his bedroom at his parent's house in Melbourne, Puglisi began uploading local news videos to YouTube channel 6 News in 2019.

Fast forward five years, the channel now broadcasts hourly bulletin and boasts 29,600 subscribers, with another 40,700 on X.

He has a team of 10 reporters, whose ages range from 15 to their late teens.

So the new law may pose a challenge to the news operation.

The legislation, approved by parliament on Thursday, orders social media firms to take "reasonable steps" to prevent under 16s from having accounts.

Due to come into effect after a year, it is a "really bad idea", Puglisi said.

As of now, the legislation offers almost no details on how the law will be enforced -- prompting concern among experts that it will be largely symbolic.

Social media firms that fail to comply with the ban face fines of up to Aus$50 million (US$32.5 million) for "systemic breaches".

Many of 6 News' viewers engage with the channel through social media, he said, so a ban could make things "really tough".

- 'We will continue' -

Puglisi said it was impossible to know how the ban would impact his team -- some of them under-16s who use X to communicate and publish content on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.

But whatever happens, "6 News is definitely not going anywhere", he said.

Puglisi said he was concerned by the speed of the law's passage, the limited information about which platforms would be banned and an apparent "lack of understanding about social media".

Though he supports improving online safety, Puglisi stressed that social media sites also provide a place for young people to "explore their passions".

"If this ban was in place a couple of years ago, 6 News wouldn't have existed in the first place which I think, personally, is a real shame," he told AFP.

Experts have cautioned that the ban may push young people into unsafe and unregulated parts of the web.

Griffith University social media expert Susan Grantham said the government had opted for a "quick fix".

"The moment they turn 16, they're eligible to get an account with no education, no guidelines, no one there to hold their hand through understanding what could and couldn't be good decisions on these sorts of platforms," she said.

The government could have opted instead for improved education or a regulatory framework that prevents children accessing harmful content, the expert said.

Young people join online communities to follow interests and hobbies, Grantham said, and taking that away could be "detrimental" to their mental health.

But others said the ban was the right choice.

Body image expert Catherine Houlihan at University of the Sunshine Coast said the teenage years were fundamental to "identity and brain development".

"Banning social media for this age group and under is an important step towards protecting young people’s mental health," she said.

D.Parker--SFF