Digital Policy as Problem Space: Policy Formation, Public Opinion, and Australia’s Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024
Field | Value | Language |
dc.contributor.author | Flew, Terry | |
dc.contributor.author | Koskie, Timothy | |
dc.contributor.author | Stepnik, Agata | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2025-06-24T04:44:15Z | |
dc.date.available | 2025-06-24T04:44:15Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2025 | en_AU |
dc.identifier.citation | Flew, Terry and Koskie, Timothy and Stepnik, Agata, Digital Policy as Problem Space: Policy Formation, Public Opinion, and Australia's Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 (May 19, 2025). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5310865 | en_AU |
dc.identifier.uri | https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5310865 | |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/2123/34025 | |
dc.description.abstract | This article examines Australia’s Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 as a case study in digital policy formation, focusing on the socio-political processes that shaped its development. Framing the debate through Celia Lury’s concept of “problem spaces,” the paper explores how the issue of youth and social media use is constructed through “givens” (perceived risks), “goals” (protection), and contested “operators” (policy solutions). Drawing on public opinion surveys and stakeholder submissions to a parliamentary inquiry, the article finds widespread public concern about online harms, especially for minors, but sharp disagreement about how best to address them. While the Act’s age restriction was broadly supported by the public and some stakeholders, critics warn of unintended consequences and advocate alternative measures such as media literacy and platform accountability. The case reveals broader tensions in digital governance between public demand for action, legislative responsiveness, and competing visions of youth digital rights. | en_AU |
dc.language.iso | en | en_AU |
dc.publisher | SSRN | en_AU |
dc.rights | Copyright All Rights Reserved | en_AU |
dc.subject | Digital rights | en_AU |
dc.subject | social media | en_AU |
dc.subject | platform governance | en_AU |
dc.subject | problem spaces | en_AU |
dc.subject | Australia | en_AU |
dc.subject | age restrictions | en_AU |
dc.title | Digital Policy as Problem Space: Policy Formation, Public Opinion, and Australia’s Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 | en_AU |
dc.type | Preprint | en_AU |
dc.subject.asrc | ANZSRC FoR code::47 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE::4701 Communication and media studies::470102 Communication technology and digital media studies | en_AU |
dc.subject.asrc | ANZSRC FoR code::47 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE::4701 Communication and media studies::470106 Media industry studies | en_AU |
dc.subject.asrc | ANZSRC FoR code::48 LAW AND LEGAL STUDIES::4804 Law in context::480411 Media and communication law | en_AU |
dc.rights.other | All content on this site: Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc., its licensors, and contributors. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. For all open access content, the relevant licensing terms apply. | en_AU |
usyd.faculty | SeS faculties schools::Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences::School of Art, Communication and English | en_AU |
usyd.department | Centre for AI, Trust and Governance | en_AU |
workflow.metadata.only | No | en_AU |
Associated file/s
Associated collections