LISTEN TO PODCAST NOW http://media.blubrry.com/saturday_magazine/joy.org.au/saturdaymagazine/wp-content/uploads/sites/76/2024/05/Samantha-Floreani-Head-of-Policy-Digital-Rights-Watch.mp3It would be much better for young people to be supported to navigate social media safely than ban them from it entirely, writes, Samantha Floreani, Head of Policy Digital Rights Watch. “Research conducted by the Young and Resilient Research Centre – which prioritises meaningfully engaging with children – notes that while negative experiences on social media do occur, many young people see the online world as a safe haven. Proposals to ban access to social media ignore the experiences of young people and steamroll over this complexity. This holds true to other research which suggests digital policy reform regularly omits the perspectives of children and young people. Online harms and social media are understandably emotive topics but our current debate is too focused on adult fears rather than children’s lived experience.
