Scrolling 2 Death Australia's Under-16 Social Media Ban: Will it go global? (with Dani Elachi)
I brought in Dany Elachi of the Australian-based Heads Up Alliance to learn about the recent U16 Age Gate Bill which passed in Australia. In addition to breaking down the new law, Dany shares his personal experience in (admittedly) giving his pre-teen daughter a phone too early and how correcting this mistake led to an advocacy movement across Australia.
Dany breaks down the legislative battle in getting this new law passed, how the age verification will work, which platforms this applies to and much more.
Resources Mentioned in the Episode
Dany Elachi is a Sydney husband and father of five children, aged between 7 and 15.
He is also the founder of the Heads Up Alliance, a volunteer-run, grassroots movement of Australian parents committed to delaying smartphones and social media for their children.
Since its inception in 2020, the Heads Up Alliance has also been a powerful advocate for children's wellbeing. The movement has successfully advocated for policy changes that led to smartphones banned in nearly 1,000 Australian schools. More recently, the Heads Up Alliance played a pivotal role in lobbying for a world-leading national law raising the minimum age for social media to 16.
The Heads Up Alliance remains committed to ending the phone-based childhood and reclaiming the play-based one for all Australian children.