This week Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the government’s plan to introduce legislation to ban younger teens from social media. Today, Cadhla O’Sullivan (@CadhlaOSull) and Sharon Bessell (@BessellSharon) from the Children’s Policy Centre at ANU, highlight what other approaches are worth considering.

‘I want kids to have a childhood..’

In a video posted from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s twitter account in the midst of debates about banning children from social media, he stated ‘I want kids to have a childhood, I want them off their devices and onto the footie field and onto the netball courts. I want them to have real experiences with real people’

This echoes what we hear from children during our research about what makes life good and what makes it tough. We also hear that often children do not have these opportunities. We hear children’s experiences of not having access to private or public transport to access the footie field or netball court, and about children whose families cannot afford the equipment to play those sports. Children tell us their parents work long hours and often multiple jobs, which means they do not have the time to take them to these activities. We hear about children who do not have backyards or access to other communal green spaces that are safe and clean. We hear children talk about their lives being confined to their house, or to their bedroom.

If we want children to be engaged in activities, to have opportunities to play and be part of their communities and to have real experiences with real people, we need to focus on what we can add to children’s lives, not what we need to take out or ban. There’s no point removing access to social media if children do not have access to safe, healthy activities to take its place. So how can we create inclusive communities, where children can play, learn and participate?

Who is speaking with and listening to children?

In a Conversation piece this week, Associate Professor Faith Gordon highlighted that in the midst of debates about age bans on social media, no one is listening to children. She goes further to say that listening to children can be powerful in helping us as adults to better understand the issues children face and how we can address it going forward.

*A message from Avocado and Watermelon, 12 and 9 years*

In the digital age, there is no doubt that children’s safety online is a pressing concern and one that needs to be taken seriously. And the government has taken steps to keep children safe. Protecting children from harm is important, but so too is ensuring children can be full and active members of their communities. Indeed, connecting children to caring communities is an important means of keeping them safe.

At the Children’s Policy Centre, we conduct research with children between the ages of 6 and 16 years, but mostly with children in the middle childhood period (6-12 years). We listen to their experiences, priorities and ideas for change. What we consistently hear from children across contexts is that their communities are not meeting their needs and desire to be included. We hear about the lack of activities and experiences available to children, particularly those who are living in contexts of poverty.

Many children described experiences of loneliness and isolation from their communities. This is of particular concern in the post COVID context, and children often described feeling anxious when socialising.

For many children and young people, especially those living in contexts of poverty, there are often limited opportunities to engage in activities outside of school.

While schools have a vital role in providing opportunities for children, their lives are about so much more than school. Schools cannot be expected to fill every void in a child’s life.

When asked what would make life better for children, many spoke of the need for activities after school or on school holidays and for those activities to be free. As one 12-year-old girl said ‘It shouldn’t cost money to have fun’.

Many children, particularly those who had no backyard or outdoor space to play, spoke of wanting clean and safe parks, near to their house, where they could meet friends. Most children did not have access to such places, and instead described broken play equipment, and unkempt green spaces littered with broken glass or rubbish.

Toward Child-Inclusive communities

Globally, child-friendly cities have gained traction, based on the premise that every child has the right to grow up in an environment where they feel safe and secure, have access to basic services and clean air and water, can play, learn and grow and where their voice is heard and matters.

We have spoken with children in communities across Australia and what is abundantly clear is that many communities are not child-inclusive. At the Children’s Policy Centre we define child-inclusive communities as meeting the needs of those children in that community, and as places that position children's needs, rights and interests as a primary focus, where children are identified as key stakeholders in policy, processes and outcomes.

Many children shared their experiences of feeling isolated during COVID-19 restrictions. In the wake of COVID19, many children describe loneliness and a sense of isolation. We need to ask what we can add to children’s lives to ensure that their needs are met, rather than focus on what we are taking out. And we need to ask children what matters to them, why and how they use social media, and what alternatives they would like. We need to listen to children and respond to their needs to create communities that are genuinely child-inclusive.

We should be looking at what we can add to children’s lives instead of what we take away

‘I want kids to have a childhood..’

Who is speaking with and listening to children?

Toward Child-Inclusive communities