Most Australian children are still on social media. Even the eSafety Commissioner concedes that at least 70% of the children are still on there – based on a survey of parents. The true figure is almost certainly higher: no children who circumvented the ban are going to tell their parents. This is unsurprising given the official Government-funded study, used to recommend implementation methods, proposed systems that would literally let over 40% of 10 year-olds through (a finding that the authors occluded in their report). The report was prepared by the UK-based Age Verification Providers Association, an industry body with a direct commercial interest in selling these systems. One imagines the UK Government is receiving similarly dubious advice. And then there are VPNs — allowing children to bypass age verification entirely by appearing to connect from a country without a ban.
From a child safety perspective, the failure of the Australian ban is a good thing. Social media platforms operate based on network effects. They persist because of the community that is there. In ordinary circumstances, this provides an incumbent advantage. But if the Government succeeds in breaking these networks down, then under-16’s are suddenly motivated to go elsewhere.
That ‘elsewhere’ could be a completely unregulated startup app or website with no safety measures whatsoever....<<<Read More>>>...
