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🇦🇺 Australia /Culture & Society

WA teens say anonymous 'alt' accounts used to bypass social media ban

From ABC Australia · (2h ago) English Critical tone

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Western Australian teenagers are using anonymous 'alt' accounts to bypass the state's social media ban for under-16s.
  • Concerns are rising about these accounts spreading malicious content and gossip, with reporting mechanisms proving slow.
  • An incident where a student was assaulted after being wrongly blamed for a fake account highlights the dangers of online anonymity.

The introduction of Western Australia's social media ban for under-16s, while well-intentioned, is proving to be easily circumvented by resourceful teenagers. As reported by ABC Kimberley, young people are creating 'alt' accounts – anonymous or fake profiles – to continue their online activities, raising serious concerns about the spread of harmful content and the effectiveness of the ban.

It's hard to get something taken down … it's very like unlikely for your report to actually work.

— Shirley WynneA Broome Senior High School student describing the difficulty and ineffectiveness of reporting malicious content on social media platforms.

Students like Shirley Wynne and Kyra Herveux from Broome are vocal about the persistent issues of gossip and malicious content circulating online, even with the ban in place. They highlight the inadequacy of current reporting systems on social media platforms, noting that it can take weeks for problematic posts to be removed, if they are removed at all. This delay allows harmful content to proliferate, impacting the well-being of young users.

The real-world consequences of this online behavior are starkly illustrated by a recent assault at Broome Senior High School. A student was hospitalized with a broken tooth after being wrongly identified as responsible for a fake account that targeted her. This incident underscores the critical need for greater awareness among young people about the severe impact their online actions can have, and the importance of schools, parents, and the community working together to foster respectful online conduct.

They create fake accounts, spread gossip and are really mean to other people.

— Kyra HerveuxA student from St Mary's College in Broome, explaining how young people are misusing social media through fake accounts.

The WA Department of Education acknowledges the seriousness of such incidents and assures that clear consequences are in place for anti-social behavior. However, they rightly point out that schools cannot tackle this issue alone. A collective effort involving parents, caregivers, families, and the wider community is essential to reinforce positive behavior and digital citizenship among young people. The ongoing police investigation into the assault further emphasizes the gravity of the situation.

They're still kids … they don't know how bad this can be, or how much they can hurt someone else.

— Mother of assaulted studentExpressing concern about the lack of awareness among young people regarding the impact of their online actions.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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