An epic failure of policy - block the kids

Imagine if the government, concerned about bullying or bad behaviour on public transport, suddenly decreed that no child under sixteen could board a train. Suppose the reasoning was that a few incidents of violence and indecency made the system unsafe. Would any rational citizen accept that as a solution? Of course not. We would demand better safety measures — lighting, surveillance, staffing — not a blanket ban. Trains are a public utility. We make them safe. We don’t prohibit the young from using them.

Yet, this is exactly what the Australian Government proposes for social media. Faced with a failure by billion-dollar corporations to police their platforms, the government’s response is not to demand reform or accountability but to exclude the young entirely. It is an act of surrender disguised as protection.

When toys are unsafe, we regulate their manufacture. When vehicles prove dangerous, we impose standards. When food or medicine harms the public, companies face recall or ruin. In none of these cases do we simply say, “Children must not touch.” We demand that the product itself meet the highest safety standards. Why should social media — arguably one of the most powerful social technologies of our time — be treated differently?

The tech billionaires who built these platforms have amassed unimaginable wealth. They have done so by monetising attention, emotion, and human interaction itself. The least we should expect in return is that they make their platforms safe for everyone — regardless of age, gender, or ability. To claim it is “technically impossible” or “too expensive” to do so is moral cowardice. We do not permit pharmaceutical companies to claim that safety testing is “too hard.” We should not accept it from technology firms either.

The government’s duty is clear: it must compel the platforms to *shape up or ship out*. If Meta cannot make Facebook safe, ban Meta — not the children. The answer to corporate irresponsibility is not to restrict citizenship, but to regulate industry.

To deprive young Australians of access to the public digital square is to declare them second-class citizens in the very medium that will define their social, economic, and political lives. This proposal is not protection. It is exclusion — and a profound failure of imagination.