I think the children will now sit with their parents and have some fun talks. At the same time, social media companies should also ensure that the law we have made is properly followed.' On November 28th, the Parliament of Australia passed a bill banning minors under the age of 16 from opening accounts on social media sites. The Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's response is summarized above. Australia has become the first country in the world to ban social media accounts in this way. The decision of the Australian Parliament has been opposed there, so the discussion has also started around the world that how appropriate and how effective such a ban will be in the age of social media? Undoubtedly, if there is one thing that dominates the world right now, it is social media. As Australia banned it, Australia itself has gone viral on social media. France, the US have previously enacted laws that prohibit children from using social media without parental consent, but this is the first case of a blanket ban. The whole world uses social media. People's time spent in it is constantly increasing. It has good effects, but also adverse effects. There is a widespread complaint from the whole world that social media has killed Methi… but it cannot be avoided. The Australian government is concerned that when teenagers want to talk to their parents, play in the field with friends, go out on the road with bicycles, they are glued to the screen of the mobile phone, even if it works in the world, it will not work in our country. Most of the people around the world have said that what the Australian government did was right. Let's do this! Even in India, a large section believes that yes, social media usage of children should be controlled. However, such discussion was taking place lightly for the last five-eight years. When the corona period came, a lot of work including studying had to be done online. So the talk of reducing the time spent on social media, mobile usage, gadgets has gone. Corona is no more and the Australian government does not even care about the displeasure of social media companies or the teenagers of its own country, because the government of Australia clearly believes that if we want to make tomorrow brighter, we have to take tough decisions today. Just because the ban is lifted, it's not like Australia's teenagers will stop using overnight. Teenagers will find ways to open social media sites, but Albanis said, “We anticipate that there will be bans, violations and other incidents, but we cannot run away from our duty because of all that.” ' Of course, no matter how strict the law is, there are loopholes. On the other hand, the government is adamant that we are sitting to close the loopholes. The Australian government had already started the trial of this ban since January. The Australian government is also ready to impose a fine of 3-4 million dollars if the social media companies mess up. This decision may be protested or praised, but the whole world cannot ignore it. That's why the decision was taken in Australia, but the American newspaper 'Boston Globe' headlined the front page and wrote: 'Under 16, stay off that social media, please.' The fact that it got such importance in newspapers around the world shows the success of the Australian government's decision. Even in India, there are teenagers at home and parents are worried that their children are constantly staring at the mobile screen. So, just as Australia decided, the issue started to be discussed in India, whether India should follow the Australia-India route or not? what do you think
Of course, as many benefits as social media have, there are also good aspects. Teenagers are also making money by becoming content creators on social media. Social media is often the only means of getting help during an emergency. All these are good things, but good things do not harm the society. Things don't go unscathed. A discussion of some of the same issues is needed, which Australia has initiated.
Disturbing sleep. If the body does not get enough sleep, other diseases will occur and the next day will not be energetic.
Greedy advertisements including games on social media lead to financial fraud.
The sense of social-community diminishes. Increased loneliness. Because they cannot discuss their questions with their family, they sometimes take wrong steps.
The time spent watching and enjoying good or bad content in social media increases, which has an adverse effect on the brain.
Lack of attention in education results in poor performance. Although media like YouTube is also used for education, misuse is on the rise.
Cases of believing the fantasy world on social media to be true are increasing. Distraction and concentration decrease.
Due to attention on mobile even while walking, incidents of injury are increasing. Sometimes fatal injuries have also occurred.
Tendency to get angry over talk. Sometimes cases of violence are happening and videos of it are also circulating.
How will the ban apply in Australia? This is the easy way. The user's date of birth is asked while opening the account. Date proof (any document regarding date of birth) should also be sought. On the other hand, there is also a consideration that biometric verification of the person will be done while opening the account. That is, it will be called to upload photo-video. Based on that, the age will also be estimated. If the rule has been made, now the Australian government will also implement it.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
