Online 'Safety Laws' in Australia

Censorship is Ineffective

Censorship has always been a poor solution to threats. In fact, most of the time it undermines the incredible ability for humans to adapt, and how this adaptation often entices us to evolve.

As hunters and gatherers, we did not have the option of willing away a bear that could jump out of the bushes and eat us – we had to adapt. We had to use our incredible and unique gift of adaptability and react to adversity through growth. It made us stronger, and the skills we learned in order to deal with the threat of bears improved our resilience, our technology, and enhanced our ability to defend ourselves from other predators (including humans).

Censorship is necessary when the threat to our well-being does not react to adaptability, and the tangibility of this threat in then very real and palpable. A flesh eating bacteria, for example, would be a good example: exposure would not be beneficial in most cases.

Draconian Australia

But in Australia, they have now implemented draconian rules that, frankly, seem unbelievable in this day and age. They are requiring individuals to provide third party websites their personally identifying information so they can access content they deem inappropriate, such as social media and pornography.

Aside from the obvious threat to the average Australian’s personal security, who will now have to provide unknown, third party websites their personally identifying information, the notion that any form of hard-line prohibition to protect children is more effective than taking the time to contextualize the world for them has been proven to, time and again, do precisely the opposite.

The Effect on Children

Children vape. Children do drugs. Children drink and have sex. Any notion that this does not happen is foolish. And now, children will use VPNs to access the internet. They will create fake accounts and lie about their age. Everything will go underground, and will serve to increase their exposure to potential predators and harmful content, not reduce it.

Worst of all, by selling this to the general public, children will now believe watching pornography is shameful. They will believe interacting with a stranger on social media is shameful. And this is potentially the most dangerous outcome, for when children believe they are doing something shameful, they are magnetized towards it while becoming adverse to seeking support from adults to deal with confusion relating to it.

Jess, the 14 Year Old

And so, imagine a young, 14 year old girl named Jess who hops on the internet. Her friend introduces her to NordVPN, and shares her account with her. They then giggle as Jess creates a fake Facebook profile to circumvent the law.

Then, late at night at some point, Jess is on her phone, or her laptop, bored, and begins chatting with a man. This man tells her she’s beautiful. He tells her she’s smart. He wants to meet her. He comes off genuinely sincere.

Now that she’s doing something she perceives is shameful, is she more or less likely to ask her mum for advice? Is she more likely to continue this independent, shameful behavior, and meet the stranger in a hotel?

Isolation breeds opportunity for predators. Do not isolate your children. Open the world to them and hold their hands while they walk it.