HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Australia’s landmark move to ban under-16s from social media will be closely watched by other countries, which could follow suit with similar laws.
Agence France-Presse spoke to teenagers and adults around the world about the Australian ban, which comes in on Wednesday. Here are some of their reactions:
Mumbai: ‘Great benefits’
At the seafront in India’s Mumbai, 19-year-old Pratigya Jena scrolls with her friends through Instagram videos of a posing influencer and a camel at a beach.
Social media “should be partially banned because according to me nothing is either black or white,” the student said.
At a Mumbai park, cricket coach Pratik Bhurke, 38, said Australia’s move would encourage children to spend time outdoors and could have “great benefits” in India, too.
Berlin: ‘Help to detox’
In the chilly German capital, Luna Drewes, 13, is watching selfie-style TikTok clips posted by other young people.
“Actually a good thing in some ways because social media often portrays a certain image of how people should look, like girls have to be thin,” she said of the ban.
Another teenager, Enno Caro Brandes, said: “I’m 15 so for me the ban would definitely come into effect. I can’t really imagine giving it up completely.
“A ban is a bit extreme, but it could definitely help to do a detox.”
Doha: ‘Really stupid’
An artificial intelligence baby singing and answering interview questions are among the videos served up to Firdha Razak, 16, as she scrolls in her room.
Razak is not in favor of a ban. “It’s really stupid, honestly,” although “there’s not really much we can do as 16-year-olds” if governments decide to act, she said.
The families of many people in Qatar live abroad, so “it’s going to be so much harder to talk to them.”
Also in Doha, Youssef Walid, 16, said bans like Australia’s were “a bit harsh” and hard to enforce.
“We can use VPN. We can easily bypass the security and easily make new accounts,” he said.
Lagos: ‘We were born with it’
At a Nigerian high school, Mitchelle Okinedo is revising for exams, checking over her hand-written notes. In the classroom — where phones are banned — students in uniform sit at separate desks.
“I see where the (Australian) government is coming from. Students nowadays, they are really distracted,” Okinedo said.
Even so, “we were born with it,” the 15-year-old added. “And I don’t think it’s something I want to stop.”
Her mother, 50-year-old event planner Hannah Okinedo, agrees with a social media ban for under-16s, saying most parents “don’t have time to monitor their children all day.”