Parra News May 21 2024

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Issue 174
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Troy Dodds
@troydodds
Magic Round is more than just footy
I write this piece a little bleary eyed and with
my liver less than pleased with me.
I’ve just spent the last few days at Magic
Round, a true festival of footy in Brisbane.
If you’ve never done it before, and you’re a
sports fan, you have to add this to your bucket
list.
It’s not even about the eight games of footy,
Earlier this year, I made a prediction that
regulating children’s access to technology and
social media would become a major talking
point in Australia’s political conversation in
2024.
It’s hard enough for adults to concentrate
on work these days without scrolling their
phones for the latest on TikTok. Reading a
book – or even sitting through a two-hour
movie – has become a feat of endurance, compared
to the schlock, superficiality, titillation
and meaningless instant chat that is available
in the online world.
It seems you can view anything on a screen
these days. Stabbings, dead bodies, pornography,
AI-generated deepfakes, information
both true and false. The result has been a
corrosion, coarsening and narrowing of our
world. You have to get back outdoors, travelling,
meeting people in the flesh to remember
you are part of the human race.
That’s why, I guess, so many parents are worried
for kids who have even less ability to control
their impulses, separate fact from fiction
or become aware they are becoming addicted.
Across Australia, primary schools have been
banning mobile phones from class. It’s the
quickest way for state governments to get a
quick hit of approval from parents – and relieved
teachers looking to reduce distractions
and improve outcomes. But it taps into something
else elemental in our psyche. The yearning
for traditional methods of pens and paper,
blackboards and chalk.
Now, the South Australian government has
Alan Mascarenhas
@alanmasc
News...........................................................1-14
Life & Style..........................................15-16
Entertainment.................................17-29
though that’s obviously a great part of the
weekend.
It’s the camaraderie of the football community
coming together that is the real highlight.
The common cause everyone has united for,
with rivalries put aside.
Even after my beloved Panthers got beaten
on Sunday, sharing a beer with a couple of
made waves with its pledge to explore a ban
on children accessing social media platforms
until the age of 14.
Premier Peter Malinauskas has appointed
a former High Court judge to investigate the
legal issues involved, given that media regulation
is generally the domain of the Commonwealth.
If his plans come to fruition, parents
would have to give consent for their kids to
own a social media account between the ages
of 14 and 15 in what would be a nationwide
first.
This is an issue that is gaining steam, particularly
in some of the more conservative US
states. Florida has legislated to ban social media
accounts for children under 14, while in
Texas, parental consent is required up to the
age of 18. In Australia, the federal government
has now announced a trial of age-assurance
technologies in an attempt to prevent children
from accessing adult sites online.
There is a legitimate debate here about the
role of government. Is the right approach to
ban participation from social media platforms
– or to better regulate the platforms themselves?
This could involve tackling the addictive
nature of social media algorithms that can
suck children into an endless loop of destructive
age-inappropriate content.
Last year, a report by the e-Safety Commissioner
found that 75 per cent of teenagers
between 16 and 18 had viewed online porn.
One-third of those surveyed recalled having
first seen explicit content before the age of 13
and 8 per cent when younger than 10.
Business Directory.....................30-31
Sport..............................................................32
Warriors fans was a highlight.
From the history and passion of the Caxton,
to the vibrant atmosphere outside Suncorp
Stadium, Brisbane comes absolutely alive
across the weekend.
It wouldn’t work in any other city.
If you haven’t had the chance to do it before,
make Magic Round part of your 2025 plans.
Exploring social media bans for kids
These days, the images are being freely
spread on platforms Instagram, Snapchat, and
whatever else is in vogue in mid-2024 but lost
on me.
But how should all this be balanced with
the positive educational effects of technology
– including games like ‘Minecraft’ which
assist children’s creativity and problem-solving
skills? What are the differences between
healthy and unhealthy online gaming? These
are all areas in need of further research.
What is also clear is that parents have to be
part of the solution. This involves families
making decisions and having tough conversations
at home about responsibility technology
use. A story in the Sydney Morning Herald at
the weekend discussed the impending visit
to Sydney of Catholic American author and
speaker Jason Evert to give a series of public
forums and presentations at schools. The article
was slanted negatively and focused on
a narrow part of Evert’s message to do with
chastity.
Nevertheless, an event put on by Sydney
Catholic Schools at Canterbury League Club
on Monday night played house to 700 parents.
This tells you there is a real hunger in the suburbs
for resources on how to raise kids being
bombarded by messages – particularly online
– in a way that warps their understanding of
healthy human relationships.
This is a conversation that is roiling out there.
Politicians sense it and parents don’t need to
see the research. After all, they are the ones
who see their children.
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4 parra news » Tuesday, May 21, 2024