A Vision for Young Creators: Empowering Children in a Restrictive Digital Age

In recent years, we’ve seen growing concerns about the impact of social media on children. These concerns have led to new laws, like Australia’s recent ban on social media access for those under 16, which aim to protect young people from harm. While these intentions are understandable, I believe such restrictions take us further away from a vision of a better digital world—one where children are empowered, not excluded, and where they can begin to build their creative legacies as entertainers, innovators, and contributors to culture.

The Problem with Restriction

Modern social media has undeniable flaws: it exposes children to harmful interactions, addictive algorithms, and exploitative commercial practices. However, banning children outright from these spaces doesn’t solve the problem; it simply creates new barriers. For talented children with creative aspirations, these restrictions strip away opportunities to share their work with the world, build a following, and even begin a career. Instead, they are forced to rely on parental control and approval to have any presence online, a dependency that limits their autonomy and potential.

Platforms like YouTube, for example, require users to be at least 13, and even then, young creators often rely on their parents to manage their accounts. This framework excludes children who are ready and willing to showcase their talents but lack parental involvement or support. The new Australian law pushes this even further, barring anyone under 16 from accessing social media entirely. It’s a step backwards, making it harder for young people to express themselves and connect with audiences.

A Vision for Young Creators

What if we reimagined the digital landscape to support children as creators, rather than exclude them? Imagine a platform specifically designed for young people to showcase their talents and accomplishments—a “performance profile” that serves as a digital portfolio of their creative work. This wouldn’t be a social media platform in the traditional sense but a safe space where children can share their art, music, writing, or other achievements with the world.

This platform would have strict safeguards, including:

Moderation and AI Tools: Advanced systems to detect and remove harmful interactions or bad actors.

Gradual Social Features: Initially, users could see views and likes as a way to introduce them to the idea of audience engagement without exposing them to the risks of unmoderated comments. Social features like comments could be unlocked at 16, with creators deciding if and when they want to enable them.

Transparency and Legacy: Creators could attach their real names to their work, allowing them to build a lasting digital legacy tied to their identity.

Child-Friendly Design: Tools and interfaces tailored to young users, with built-in protections against exploitation, such as restrictions on financial transactions or personal data sharing.

This vision strikes a balance between freedom and protection. It allows children to be creators and performers, building their audience and legacy without being exposed to the darker sides of online interaction.

The Challenge of Acceptance

Of course, introducing such a platform would require a major societal shift. Current attitudes prioritize shielding children from the internet rather than equipping them to navigate it responsibly. Laws like Australia’s ban only deepen this divide, focusing on removing access instead of fostering safe, productive engagement.

But by envisioning a world where children are empowered to create, we take an important step toward addressing these challenges. The tools exist to make this vision a reality—it’s a matter of shifting perspectives and priorities.

Conclusion

As we move further into the digital age, the question shouldn’t be how to keep children away from the internet, but how to create spaces where they can thrive safely. The restrictive laws we see today may be well-intentioned, but they hold us back from a future where children are celebrated as creators and contributors. It’s time to think bigger, to build platforms that empower young people while protecting them, and to give children the opportunity to share their talents with the world.

Let’s not take steps backward. Let’s create a world where every child has the chance to shine.