Calls for government to lift social media age limit to 16

group of online safety advocates have banded together, to call on the government to lift the social media age limit to 16 years old in New Zealand.

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“It’s a group of tech and business leaders, researchers, parenting educators and parents who have real concern with what’s happening with our young people online,” explained Holly Brooker, online safety advocate.

It's a group of tech and business leaders, researchers, parenting educators and parents who have real concern with what's happening with our young people online.

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Read the full article on Stuff.

Australia is banning social media for kids under 16. How will it work?

From 10 December, social media companies will have to take "reasonable steps" to ensure that under-16s in Australia cannot set up accounts on their platforms and that existing accounts are deactivated or removed.

Science

Limiting social media use decreases depression, anxiety, and fear of missing out in youth with emotional distress: A randomized controlled trial.

Although many youth may not be harmed by heavy SMU, distressed youth may be particularly vulnerable. The aim of this study was to experimentally examine the effects of reducing SMU on smartphones on symptoms of depression, anxiety, fear of missing out (FoMO), and sleep in youth with emotional distress. Compared to the control group, the intervention group showed significantly greater reductions in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and FoMO, and greater increases in sleep.

News

Survey: Kiwi Parents Concerned About Kids' Tech Use

The survey, which nib conducts annually with global research company, One Picture, canvassed the views of 1,226 parents, step-parents and guardians of children under 18, nationally. This year the survey shows technology use continues to nag at parents, with the real impacts on health and wellbeing increasingly evident. Technology use remains the number one worry for 70% of parents, with 24% ‘extremely concerned’.

Screen Sense