Associate Professor Susanne Schweizer from the School of Psychology is available to comment on the social media age limit. A/Prof. Schweizer’s work focuses on how social media impacts youth cognition and emotional development and mental health. A/Prof. Schweizer says, “Research on social influence suggests a social media ban could be the silver bullet, or backfire terribly. If a ban is rigorously implemented it could offer young people who are sensitive to the effects of social media a reprieve from its pressures. Unfortunately, it will also remove opportunities for connection for highly vulnerable groups, such as young people from certain minority groups and those with certain types of neurodivergence, who greatly benefit form connecting with peers online.”
For interviews, contact Susanne Schweizer, s.schweizer@unsw.edu.au; 0488 309 699.
Professor Barney Tan, Head of School, School of Information Systems and Technology Management is available to comment. Prof. Tan recently did a segment with Nine News on Smartphone Addiction. He can be reached at barney.tan@unsw.edu.au. Prof. Tan says, “While the proposed measures may initially seem draconian, they are actually in line with regulations already in place in the EU, US, and many developed countries across the Asia Pacific, such as Japan and South Korea. These laws aim to protect minors online through age restrictions, a common practice in many parts of the world.”
