AMA - Australian Medical Association Ltd.
AMA - Australian Medical Association Ltd.
19/07/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 19/07/2024 00:22
Reform urgently needed to protect Australians on social media
Media release
Reform urgently needed to protect Australians on social media
Published 19 July 2024
Social media giants must be brought into line to protect all Australians from the harms of social media.
In a new submission to a parliamentary inquiry into the influence and impacts of social media on Australian society, the AMA has called on Australia to implement European-style laws that provide greater transparency about how individuals' data is collected, shared and used.
AMA President Professor Steve Robson said Australians were being exposed to social media algorithms that serve up harmful content and promote unhealthy products based on online habits.
"There are so many great benefits of being online and on social media, but at the moment there are overwhelming risks to the safety and mental wellbeing of Australians due to social media cowboys getting away with using sneaky commercial tactics and preying on peoples' online habits," Professor Robson said.
The AMA is calling for rules similar to the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is widely considered the global benchmark for digital governance.
The GDPR clearly stipulates that individuals are the owners of their data and they must provide specific, informed and unambiguous consent for their data to be used.
"Australia could benefit greatly from similar regulations, and the AMA calls on the federal government to implement this swiftly, while also acting on specific recommendations from the Privacy Act and Online Safety Act reviews," Professor Robson said.
The AMA also raised concerns about proposals to increase minimum age requirements on social media platforms.
"Merely increasing the age verification requirements to sign up to social media platforms would shift the emphasis onto innocent individuals, rather than the power-hungry social media companies that are responsible for exposing children to harmful content," Professor Robson said.
"We should be harnessing the positives of social media while addressing the negative consequences head-on, rather than developing policies that bend around those issues and allow social media companies to continue avoiding regulation and responsibility for their actions.
"Age verification is also rife with privacy and digital security risks, and the AMA has many questions about how such a system would be enforced effectively."
Studies show young people are aware of the risks and benefits of the online space and are eager to be consulted on their online use to assist in policy reform.
The AMA's submission also highlights the important role of Australian journalism, news and public interest media in countering misinformation on digital platforms.
"The onus is on the social media companies to actively counter misinformation on their platforms, but there are also great benefits in the federal government working with trusted news outlets to promote positive health messages," Professor Robson said.