The Australian Government has taken proactive steps by implementing restrictions on children under 16’s access to social media as a safety measure to guard young people’s mental health from negative effects similar to cyberbullying, anxiety and sleep disorders brought on by social media.
The policy has turn out to be a vital reference point for various countries, including Indonesia, which is considering similar measures to create a safer and healthier digital environment for youngsters.
Imran Pambudi, director of mental health on the Ministry of Health, said the federal government was considering a possible ban on children and young people using social media. However, he stressed that such a policy wouldn’t be implemented within the near future as it could require thorough research.
According to Imran, as quoted by Katadata.co, an interim measure that could be taken is the education and supervision of fogeys on monitoring their kid’s use of social media. This statement highlighted concerns in regards to the impact of social media on the mental health of youngsters and adolescents in Indonesia.
Indonesia is facing a mental health crisis
Mental health problems in Indonesia have turn out to be a pressing issue in recent times. According to the Indonesian Health Survey 2023 (SKI), the prevalence of mental disorders amongst youth aged 15 years and older in Indonesia is 2%, and the prevalence of depression is 1.4%.
Even more worrying is the low utilization of mental health services on this group, with only 12.7% reporting the necessity for treatment.
In line with this, the 2023 Indonesia National Adolescent Mental Health Survey (I-NAMHS) showed that about 34.9% of adolescents in Indonesia, or about 15.5 million people, experienced mental health problems previously yr. According to The Star, essentially the most common problem amongst respondents was anxiety.
However, only 2.6% of them sought counseling or group support during this era. Of those that received support, 38.2% said they received help through schools from teachers or school counselors.
The I-NAMHS study is the results of collaborative research by three institutions: Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, the University of Queensland in Australia and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health within the United States.
Strict ban on social media in Australia
On November 28, Australia implemented a policy banning children under 16 from using social media. This policy has gained attention as considered one of the strictest regulations on the usage of social media. Companies violating this rule face fines of as much as USD 32 million (AUD 49.5 million).
The Social Media Minimum Age Act, or Internet Safety Amendment, requires tech firms similar to Meta – the owner of Instagram and Facebook, in addition to TikTok, X/Twitter, Reddit and Snapchat – to make sure that children under 16 is not going to have access to their platforms. Companies that fail to forestall access by minors may face fines.
The Australian Government plans to start a pilot phase of enforcement of this rule in January 2025, with full implementation expected by the tip of the identical yr.
The law puts Australia on the forefront of testing age restrictions on social media amid growing global concerns about its impact on young people’s mental health.
Additionally, Australia is referred to as the primary country to require social media platforms to pay media royalties for the distribution of their content, and is currently planning to introduce sanctions on platforms that don’t cope with fraud cases.
