Senator’s stark social media swipe
Senator Jacqui Lambie has spoken out claiming social media additicion is as damaging for teenagers as meth.
The Tasmanian senator appeared on the Today Show on Monday and come as the South Australian Premier considers banning under-14s from social media.
Premier Peter Malinauskas has appointed Robert French, former Chief Justice of the High Court, to examine whether it’s feasible for the state government to ban children under 14 from holding social media accounts and for parental consent to be given for children who are 14 and 15.
Senator’s stark social media swipe
Many social media platforms require users to say they are be at least 13 to open an account.
Ms Lambie drew a stark comparison between device use and drugs.
“The damage that this is doing to the brains of those kids is no different than having an ice pipe at 15 or 14 in your mouth,” Ms Lambie said.
“It is doing the same damage, the same frontal lobe damage. So there’s a reality check for you parents out there today,” the Senator said.
“And I’ll tell you what. When you’ve been in that situation on the other side with the drug addiction and not tech, and it’s having the same outcome, good luck with you because it is really, really difficult.”
Her adult son fought an addiction to methamphetamine.
Mr Malinauskas said he was motivated to investigate a law change by growing evidence social media was harming children’s mental health.
“There has been a massive spike in mental health issues globally, and it seems to coincide at the exact same time that we saw the proliferation of social media on handheld devices with front facing cameras and I don’t think that’s a coincidence,’’ the Premier previously said.