Mike's Minute: We watch Australia's social media ban with interest

The Australian social media ban has started. 

Well, sort of. It came in on Monday but begins officially on the 10th of December. 

The worrying thing is one of the big proponents of the idea said she believed with all her heart that "we were saving a generation". 

That is not true. Saving them from what? Themselves? 

Theory vs reality is very powerfully at play in this move. We are dealing with too many intangibles. 

Between Monday and this time next week, teens are busy finding new apps that aren't covered by the ban. Influencers are busy directing traffic to these new outlets in order to work around the rules. 

The Government is smart to this and has announced a new series of apps that will be covered. So we are in a sort of whack-a-mole stage. 

As far as I can work out a lot of pressure has been placed on the tech companies to make sure kids don’t lie. 

How literally that works I have no idea. 

Like alcohol, you will be asked what age you are. 

Whether a tech company can be held liable for dishonesty, I suppose in some way, shape or form, will end up in court. 

With face recognition user profiles can be used, I guess. But at some point, a market the size of Australia may end up being more trouble than it's worth. 

It's far better to battle, as they do, with places like the EU where privacy and trading laws are constantly under review and fines are handed out on an almost continual basis. 

Never forgetting of course, we are now dealing with businesses worth more than many countries and Governments. 

However, on the flip side this could of course be the Trojan horse. Australia is at the forefront of a major global movement that is going to somehow shift the nature of technological interaction of an entire generation. 

Studies may be launched. They'll look at things like if you were banned before you turned 16, when you got to the golden age did you go nuts? Remember repression is a problematic trait in a lot of social activity. 

So we watch with interest. I don’t think it will lead to a lot. It has a touch of virtue signalling about it. 

But theory in Australia is now reality. I bet a lot of parents wish them well. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now the Australian social media ban has started, well sought of.

(00:02):
It came in on Monday, officially December one. It actually
starts d Day as they're calling it is December ten.
So the worrying thing is that one of the big
backers of the idea said she believed, she believed, with
all her heart, her words, we were saving a generation.
Now that simply, of course is not true. I mean

(00:23):
saving them from what themselves. Theory versus reality very powerfully
at play in this particular move. So we're dealing with
too many intangibles here. So between Monday and this time
next week when it begins, teens have been busy in
Australia finding new apps that aren't covered by the band.
Influences are busy as we speak directing traffic to those
new outlets in order to work around the rules. Now,
the government smart This has been busy this week announcing

(00:45):
a new series of apps that will be covered. So
we're in a sort of a whack a mole stage
at the moment. Now, as far as I can work out,
a lot of pressure has been placed on the tech
companies to make sure kids don't lie. How literally that works.
I got no idea. I mean, like alcohol, you'll be
asked what age you are. Whether a tech company can
be held liable for dishonesty. I suppose in some way,
shape or form will end up in court. Face recognition

(01:07):
user profiles can be used, I guess, but at some
point a market the size of Australia might well end
up being more trouble than it's worth. Far better to
battle as these tech companies do with places like the
EU where privacy and trading laws are constantly under review,
and find to hand it out on an almost continual basis.
Never forgetting, of course, that these tech companies we're now
dealing with businesses worth more than many countries and governments. However,

(01:31):
flip side, this could of course be the trojan horse
Australia at the forefront of a major global movement that
is going to somehow shift the nature of technological interaction
of an entire generation. Studies may be launched if you
were banned, say pre sixteen, when you get to the
golden age of sixteen, you suddenly cause you can get

(01:53):
on there and go nuts. See repression, never forget is
a problematic trait in a lot of social activity. So
we watch I guess with interest. I don't think it
will lead to a lot personally. It has a touch
of virtue signaling about it all. But theory in Australia
is now reality. And I tell you this for nothing
A but a lot of parents wish them well. For

(02:13):
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