Not all screen time is equal: Wrestling with a YouTube ban for kids
Early on in my parenting journey a girlfriend sent a post that said, 'To say all screen time is the same is like saying all paper time is the same.' Or like saying that reading this masthead is the same quality of paper time as reading New Idea or opening a utility bill, or reading philosophy or folding origami.
It is obvious how ridiculous that argument is. Surely an 11-year-old reading The Day My Butt Exploded is not the same quality of paper time as reading Harry Potter. It is the same for screen time. Not all screen time is equal.
Psychologists and parenting experts have used analogies galore to explain this to parents, schools and governments. Like the nutritional pyramid, Jocelyn Brewer refers to 'Digital Nutrition' with the 'good screen time' at the bottom, where wholegrains are and the 'sometimes screen time' at the top with lollies and chocolate.
While YouTube does have some educational videos and helpful 'instructionals', it also has a lot of toxic video content. I'm talking about misogynistic content, violent content and young people doing really stupid stuff that our kids then try to replicate, and I mean more stupid than the Mentos in the Diet Coke bottle.
I am sceptical about the social media ban for under-16s, not because I am a great fan of social media for kids, but because I'm not confident it will work. If kids under 16 have figured out how to bypass Lime Bike rentals, you don't think they'll figure out how to use social media?
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But if we are moving forward with a social media ban, and it looks like we are, then there are some things that will make it work. The first is Australian parents getting behind it. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the ban was designed so parents could say to their children social media is 'against the law'. That only works if we as parents don't succumb to the wiles of our children. Don't budge if Jonny or Susie are using it. Hold the line.
Currently, YouTube has been exempted from the ban. But the eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, wants to change that.
Frankly, it would be farcical to ban social media but allow YouTube for under-16s. While it doesn't have the 'social' elements of other sites, it has the same dangerous content and misinformation. It would be like banning fast food but keeping McDonalds. To say that YouTube is somehow a better use of screen time than other social media apps such as Snapchat, TikTok or Instagram is nuts. So good on Inman Grant for pointing that out.
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The Advertiser
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Injured Greens candidate charged, slams 'draconian' law
A one-time Greens challenger to Anthony Albanese in the federal elections who suffered severe facial injuries as police clashed with demonstrators has been charged for resisting arrest. Ms Thomas was among five people arrested while protesting Israel's war in Gaza outside an Australian firm reportedly linked to the manufacturing of components for fighter jets used by the Israeli Defence Forces. The protesters accused SEC Plating, in southwest Sydney, of making parts for F-35 jets used by Israel, a claim the firm denies. Hannah Thomas, 35, who was the Greens candidate for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's seat of Grayndler, was taken to hospital with facial injuries suffered during her arrest. In a social media post from her hospital bed, Ms Thomas said her critical injuries to her eye could leave her "potentially without vision", pointing the finger at the NSW premier and the police minister. "I'm in this position because people like Chris Minns and Yasmin Catley have demonised protesters and passed draconian anti protest laws which licence police to crack down on peaceful protest in extremely violent, brutal ways," she said."The anti-protest laws aren't just a threat to people protesting for Palestine but for any person who wants a safer world for all of us." Police said the early morning demonstration at SEC Plating was unauthorised and had blocked access to the Belmore business. "As police attempted to arrest the protesters who were not complying with the directions, a scuffle ensued between police and protesters," the force said late Sunday. Video of the incident shows multiple police dragging one of the protesters as on-lookers repeatedly shouted "get off her" and "let go of her". Police said Ms Thomas was arrested for not complying with that direction and was charged with resisting arrest. She is set to appear at Bankstown Local Court in August. Footage of Ms Thomas circulating online shows her eye swollen shut and with blood on her face before she was taken to hospital for surgery. NSW Greens MP Sue Higginson labelled the policing "excessive" and has written to Ms Catley, the NSW police commissioner and the state's police watchdog demanding an investigation. A police statement said the medical advice they had received about the incident did not meet the threshold for a critical incident declaration. "Should further medical advice be received, the decision can be reviewed," the force said. Protest organisers say another protester was grabbed by the neck and choked, while others were knocked to the ground. All five protesters arrested during the scuffle were granted bail, four will appear in Bankstown Local Court on July 15.
