Screenlife News - Australia Ban
We should take the Screenlife format and the wider social trends around sharing photos, personal data, and digital identities seriously, especially when it comes to young people. Australia’s new move to ban social media for under-16s reflects a growing awareness of what’s really at stake online.
The real risks behind oversharing
Once images, videos, or personal info are posted, they become part of a permanent digital footprint often created without kids fully understanding the long-term impact.
Content can be misused for identity theft, profiling, or exploitation.
“Private” accounts don’t guarantee safety posts can still be shared, saved, or redistributed.
Most importantly, children may not yet have the maturity to predict how today’s harmless posts could affect their future.
Why this matters for Screenlife
Screenlife stories unfold entirely through digital spaces phones, apps, chats, and social feeds mirroring the same online environments young people live in every day. This realism makes it powerful:
It shows how easily images and data can be tracked, copied, or misused.
It reminds us that what we share online doesn’t disappear it can resurface years later.
And it places responsibility on storytellers to portray online life honestly, including the risks for young users.
What the Australia ban signals
The new legislation highlights a wider recognition that current platforms may not be doing enough to protect children.
As creators, parents, and audiences, we should:
Treat online sharing as a serious choice, not a casual habit.
Teach young people about digital permanence and loss of control once something is posted.
Be mindful of “sharenting” oversharing children’s lives online can create a digital trail that follows them forever.
