Social media dangers for minors

IN THIS fast-paced, evolving tech age, where computer tablets and smartphones have become an integral part of parenting tools for toddlers to pre-teens, the discussion of considering legislation regulating social media access by minors is a welcome one.

The unfiltered, often uncensored, barrage of information shared on social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Threads, to name a few, often streaming into the minds of minors, can influence their ability to make the wrong choices by following the latest online trends.

While the Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to freedom of speech, there is a need to balance constitutional rights and the protection of children from offensive, addictive content, which can lead to deviant behaviour and unrealistic demands from minors.

To this end, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted by TT, affords each child with rights, including rights to life, survival, development, health, education, play, and protection from abuse, with the core principles of non-discrimination, the best interests of the child, and participation.

Taking that into account, an all-of-society approach is needed to protect children from any negative influence, more so, from ill-intentioned social media users preying on impressionable minds.

Archbishop Jason Gordon was right when he said certain online platforms were more addictive than alcohol and suggested that prohibitions in place to ban the sale of alcohol to children can be tweaked to protect them from the ills of social media.

The archbishop's reference to the Australian legislative model, which bans access to social media to children under the age of 16, provides an ample framework for the government to explore and craft legislation more applicable to Caribbean households.

In Australia, citizens under the age of 16 have been banned from using ten major social media services, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, and streaming platforms Kick and Twitch – all of which are easily and legally accessible in TT by anyone with access to a digital device and data. Australian children cannot set up new accounts while their existing profiles have been deactivated. The ban is the first of its kind and is being monitored by several other countries.

Archbishop Gordon raised the issue in the context of the government's announcement that it was considering raising the legal age for alcohol and cannabis consumption from 18 to 21, and the legal gambling age from 18 to 25.

The laudable proposals by the government aimed at protecting young people from early addiction and reintroducing discipline into society will need strong support and ingenious policing.