The Australian social media ban has come into effect. While there are legitimate privacy concerns surrounding age verification, it’s here now, and I’d like to briefly push back against other criticisms of the ban I’ve heard, namely that this is too heavy handed because it deprives teens of the good parts of social media. Consider this a message for my imaginary Australian teen readership.

As with the UK’s Online Safety Act, I agree with the aims of the ban. Mass pornography access and social media are undoubtably harmful to children, and it is a generally accepted norm to ban things that are harmful to children, such as cigarettes. And I agree with Albanese’s framing of the ban — that this summer is the children’s big chance to reclaim their childhood and do something worthwhile, and spend time with loved ones and friends. Go outside. Learn to socialise, play and flirt without the noise of an endless stream of short videos. The educational benefits of a social media-free childhood are likely huge, too.

The difference between cigarettes/porn and social media, though, is that there are some benefits to social media, especially for children who are socially isolated by geography, sexuality, gender identity, extreme religious family, etc. These concerns have been raised by critics (and big-tech sympathisers) as arguments against the ban.

But here’s the thing that I’d like young Bruce/Sheila to take away. This ban targets a handful of massive companies who made enormous profits by exploiting your psychological vulnerabilities, getting you addicted, and targeting your insecurities. They turned your brain to mush (I should know, I teach teenagers). But the internet was social before social media. You can still get the benefits of a social internet without handing the power over to big tech. Instant messaging, forums, email and blogs are not banned. You can still use these to connect with other people. You can even use RSS to create your own personalised news feed without an addictive algorithm filled with ads. There are even social media services outside those offered by big tech, such as on the Fediverse. Being outside Tiktok, Instagram and Snapchat does not have to mean being isolated.