20/09/2026
"๐ช๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ปโ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ. For the following reasons:
"1. ๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ, ๐ป๐ผ๐ป-๐ฎ๐ฏ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ, ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐. A blanket requirement for parental consent assumes that every child has an able or willing parent to provide that consent.
"2. ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ปโ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐. It limits childrenโs access to mechanisms that could save their lives in emergencies or situations involving abuse or trafficking.
"3. ๐๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐ต ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐: using a false age, borrowed accounts, or resorting to unregulated and potentially dangerous internet spaces.
"4. ๐ ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บโ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐, not something we put primarily on parents, who can be unavailable for children in the first place.
"๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐๐ต, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ถ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ปโ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐๐บ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐. If we believe in the fundamental nature of childrenโs digital rights, then there is no reason to impose an additional barrier that could unnecessarily limit their exercise and enjoyment of those rights."
๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ง: ๐๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐ข๐ป๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ณ๐น๐ฎ๐ด๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ปโ๐ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐
The Child Rights Network (CRN) welcomes the latest House version of the Childrenโs Social Media and Online Gaming Safety Bill for prioritising safety by design over a blanket social media ban.
This is an approach CRN and its members have consistently advocated for throughout the legislative process, alongside efforts to ensure that childrenโs voices are heard in an issue and policy discussion that affects them the most.
However, CRN flags two provisions in the House version that still miss the mark and may infringe on childrenโs rights.
๐ช๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ปโ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ. For the following reasons:
1. ๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ, ๐ป๐ผ๐ป-๐ฎ๐ฏ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ, ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐. A blanket requirement for parental consent assumes that every child has an able or willing parent to provide that consent.
2. ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ปโ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐. It limits childrenโs access to mechanisms that could save their lives in emergencies or situations involving abuse or trafficking.
3. ๐๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐ต ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐: using a false age, borrowed accounts, or resorting to unregulated and potentially dangerous internet spaces.
4. ๐ ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บโ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐, not something we put primarily on parents, who can be unavailable for children in the first place.
๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐๐ต, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ถ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ปโ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐๐บ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐. If we believe in the fundamental nature of childrenโs digital rights, then there is no reason to impose an additional barrier that could unnecessarily limit their exercise and enjoyment of those rights.
๐ช๐ฒ ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐-๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป.
The problem is harmful content, not the format. Banning the format does not, by itself, address the harmful content or design features that make it unsafe for childrenโs participation in online spaces.
Children and teens use short-form videos to learn, express themselves, participate in public discussions, and advocate for issues they care about. Like any other digital format, short-form videos can be an empowering tool through which children can exercise their full range of rights.
The Child Rights Network believes that protecting children online should not come at the expense of their other rights. Solutions must address genuine risks without unnecessarily restricting the ways children learn, express themselves, participate, and connect online.
We will continue to uphold the rights and amplify the voices of children in every proceeding until this bill becomes law. We will likewise make our voices heard in the Senate and continue to oppose blanket social media bans, so that the final version of this legislation upholds the full range of childrenโs rightsโto survival, development, protection, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ. # # #
