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Saturday Magazine

14 Dec 2025

Sat, 13th, Dec, 2025: Dr Joel Scanlan, Snr Lecturer Uni of Tas. Cyber Security Expert; Will the Social Media Ban Actually Protect Aussie Kids?

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Sat, 13th, Dec, 2025: Dr Joel Scanlan, Snr Lecturer Uni of Tas. Cyber Security Expert; Will the Social Media Ban Actually Protect Aussie Kids?

Nevena and Macca spoke to Dr. Joel Scanlan, Snr Lecturer Uni of Tas. Cyber Security Expert; Will the Social Media Ban Actually Protect Aussie Kids?

Dr Scanlan is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Tasmania. He specialises in cybersecurity and privacy, having undertaken a PhD in the area, and has been teaching and consulting with the industry for over 15 years. He is also an adjunct Associate Professor in Maritime Cybersecurity at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. Joel is an active researcher on projects relating to child exploitation prevention, maritime cyber security, and machine learning.

Joel Scanlan is the academic co-lead of the CSAM Deterrence Centre, which is a partnership between the University of Tasmania and Jesuit Social Services, who operate Stop It Now (Australia), a therapeutic service providing support to people who are concerned with their own, or someone else’s, feelings towards children. Dr Scanlan has received funding from the Australian Research Council, Australian Institute of Criminology, the eSafety Commissioner, Lucy Faithfull Foundation and the Internet Watch Foundation.

“With the federal government’s ban on social media accounts for under-16s taking effect this week, as well as age assurance for logged-in search engine users on December 27 and adult content on March 9 2026, we have reached a landmark moment – but we must be clear about what this regulation achieves and what it ignores”, writes Dr Scanlan, in his latest article for the conversation.

“The ban may keep some children out (if they don’t circumvent it), but it does nothing to fix the harmful architecture awaiting them upon return. Nor does it take steps to modify the harmful behaviour of some adult users. We need meaningful change toward a digital duty of care, where platforms are legally required to anticipate and mitigate harm”

https://theconversation.com/banning-kids-from-social-media-doesnt-make-online-platforms-safer-heres-what-will-do-that-271103

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