我是一個七年級生，西方定義為千禧世代 (Millennials)，我的成長過程經歷了從「類比」到「數位」的轉變，青少年時期，網際網路剛開始普及，從早期的撥接上網，進步到高速網路，隨著基礎建設與數位科技的成熟，智慧型手機和社群媒體也隨之發展到當今的樣態。
十二月十日，澳洲政府通過一項法案，成為第一個禁止十六歲以下的青少年接觸社群網路的國家。對於這樣的措施，不同世代固然有不同的看法，澳洲青少年多數表示反對全面禁止(影片1, 影片2)，而成年人(家長)多數樂觀其成。
自己身為「數位原住民」的第一代，且家中有青少年的家長，對於澳洲政府這樣的禁令，表示可以理解，但無法認同。
我可以理解澳洲政府面對這些社群媒體公司的無奈與憤怒，這些上市公司拿著投資人的大筆現金，以全體人類為實驗對象，藉由心理學的原理設計出容易成癮的軟體互動機制，從人機互動中販賣使用者資訊並藉由投放廣告獲取巨額利潤。即便有相關研究明確指出社群媒體對人類的危害，特別是對於青少年以下的族群，這些公司卻仍然未採取必要積極的措施。過去澳洲政府不斷的與這些公司溝通，但仍舊沒有看到積極的改善，因此政府才採取如此強硬的應對方式。
我有一名十四歲的孩子，在澳洲禁令的同一日，他請我關閉 Instagram 帳號。
這個帳號，大概是孩子十三歲時申辦的，我知道社群媒體對於青少年的危害，但我可以理解孩子在群體中的壓力，孩子希望可以辦理一個帳號，在辦理帳號之前，我便向孩子說明這個帳號屬「家庭帳號」，使用家庭信箱申辦，因此我知道帳號的密碼。
在這樣的環境之下，我可以知道孩子在社群媒體上的活動，包含朋友、訊息的往來、跟隨者等，我將帳號的偏好設定盡可能的減少社交互動，而每一位跟隨的公眾人物(多數是韓國演藝團體)我都會檢視發文內容是否適切。至於孩子與他人(主要是同學)訊息的往來，除非對話內容真的很不洽當，我才會進行介入，多數都是「睜一隻眼，閉一隻眼」。
孩子之所以請我關閉 Instagram 帳號，主因是與同學間的網路互動，已經對他的身心造成巨大的影響。以孩子的話來說，他覺得自己很「焦慮」，回家後想立刻打開手機，來收發訊息，每天晚上，即便我已經嚴格限制使用的時間(十五分鐘/天)，但他經常要求我延長時間。
有一天，孩子終於受不了，他請我關閉帳號。
觀察孩子在社群網路關閉的這幾天，臉上的笑容增加了，回家後也不會立刻打開手機，孩子自己也表示，社群網路關閉之後，他不再需要關注在他無法掌控的網路空間，日子變得輕鬆許多。
我跟孩子說，經過這樣的實驗，自己應該可以清楚知道社群媒體對於心理的危害，只有當你的心智足夠承受來應對社群媒體，才來考慮使用他，而大家普遍的共識，便是十六歲這個年紀，因此接下來的這幾年時間，你可以好好思考，自己究竟需不需要社群網路，來「豐富」自己的人生，抑或是學習「獨處」，讓自己可以學習與人好好的對話。
A Millennial Parent's Reflections on Australia's Social Media Ban
I'm a member of Taiwan's "Grade 7 generation," known in the West as Millennials. Growing up, I witnessed the transition from analog to digital. During my adolescence, the internet was just beginning to spread—from the early days of dial-up to high-speed connections. As infrastructure and digital technology matured, smartphones and social media evolved into what they are today.
On December 10th, the Australian government passed legislation making it the first country to ban access to social media for those under sixteen. Different generations naturally hold different views on this measure. Most Australian teenagers oppose a blanket ban, while most adults (parents) welcome it.
As a first-generation "digital native" and a parent of a teenager myself, I can understand Australia's ban, but I cannot fully agree with it.
I understand the Australian government's frustration and anger toward these social media companies. These publicly traded corporations take vast sums of investor capital and use all of humanity as test subjects. They employ psychological principles to design addictive interaction mechanisms, selling user data harvested from human-computer interactions and reaping enormous profits through targeted advertising. Even as research clearly identifies the harms of social media—particularly for adolescents and younger users—these companies have failed to take necessary, proactive measures. The Australian government has repeatedly tried to communicate with these companies but has seen no meaningful improvement, which is why they've resorted to such a hardline response.
I have a fourteen-year-old child. On the same day as Australia's ban, my child asked me to deactivate their Instagram account.
This account was created when my child was about thirteen. I knew about the dangers of social media for teenagers, but I also understood the peer pressure they face. When my child expressed the desire to have an account, I explained beforehand that it would be a "family account," registered with our family email address, so I would know the password.
Under this arrangement, I could monitor my child's social media activity—including friends, message exchanges, and followers. I adjusted the account's privacy settings to minimize social interaction as much as possible, and I reviewed every public figure they followed (mostly Korean entertainment groups) to ensure the content was appropriate. As for my child's messages with others (mainly classmates), unless the conversations were truly inappropriate, I generally "turned a blind eye."
The reason my child asked me to deactivate Instagram was that online interactions with classmates had begun to take a significant toll on their mental and emotional well-being. In my child's words, they felt "anxious"—wanting to immediately check their phone for messages the moment they got home. Every evening, despite my strict time limits (fifteen minutes per day), they frequently asked me to extend the time.
One day, my child finally couldn't take it anymore and asked me to close the account.
In the days since deactivating social media, I've observed more smiles on my child's face. They no longer rush to check their phone when they get home. My child has also said that without social media, they no longer need to worry about things happening in the online world that they can't control. Life has become much easier.
I told my child that through this experience, they should now clearly understand the psychological harm social media can cause. Only when your mind is mature enough to handle social media should you consider using it—and the general consensus is that sixteen is that age. So over the next few years, you can take time to think carefully about whether you truly need social media to "enrich" your life, or whether you'd rather learn to be comfortable with solitude and develop the ability to have meaningful conversations with others.