Act leader David Seymour has suggested smartphones could be banned for under-16-year-olds.<\/p>\n
In a speech at a business leaders’ dinner on Wednesday night, Seymour said it was clear anxiety, depression and self-harm had increased in children and young people since the advent of smartphones.<\/p>\n
He has suggested Parliament could prohibit the purchase, possession and supply of smartphones to under-16s, instead only allowing teenagers to use ‘dumb-phones’, which don’t have access to social media apps.<\/p>\n
“We already prohibit adults from supplying minors with tobacco and alcohol, for example.<\/p>\n
“The object is tangible, the rule is understandable, and reasonable adults support the purpose of the law. A smartphone is just as tangible.”<\/p>\n
Citing political commentator Ani O’Brien, Seymour said that instead of regulating the platforms, the device should be targeted instead.<\/p>\n
“Put simply, why don’t we deal with the hardware instead of the software?”<\/p>\n
The government is already considering a social media ban in line with Australia’s and the United Kingdom’s – but the Act Party has said it doesn’t support it.<\/p>\n
Seymour said a ban on social media is too hard to implement, and won’t work.<\/p>\n
Universal age verification could encroach on the internet privacy and freedom of adults – and would likely be ineffective in preventing teens from accessing sites, he said.<\/p>\n
“And nobody seems capable of clearly defining what should be banned anyway,” Seymour said.<\/p>\n
“Is YouTube social media? WhatsApp? Discord? Reddit? Gaming platforms with chat functions?<\/p>\n
“The moment you draw the line, technology changes and makes the line obsolete.”<\/p>\n
Seymour said his usual instinct was that government “should get out of the way”, but in some cases, intervention could help.<\/p>\n
“I’m not saying this to launch a policy.<\/p>\n
“To be clear, I don’t even know if the government trying to ban smartphones for under-16s is a good idea.”<\/p>\n
But he said this would be a better alternative to a social media ban, and that in some cases government intervention could help.<\/p>\n
He said the government could issue clear guidance against smartphones for children – issuing that for schools, youth organisations and parents.<\/p>\n
But it could also go a step further, he said, and ban the sale, supply and possession of smartphones.<\/p>\n
“Parliament could pass a law defining what constitutes a “dumb phone” suitable for a person under 16.<\/p>\n
“Prohibit the purchase, possession, and supply of smartphones for under-16s.”<\/p>\n
He said children could be given “dumb phones” instead when they need them.<\/p>\n
“Give them access to the internet when it helps them learn.<\/p>\n
“But stop pretending they need the most powerful attention-capturing device ever created sitting in their pocket throughout every hour of childhood.”<\/p>\n
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