Medical professionals and academics are raising serious concerns about Australia’s groundbreaking social media ban for users under 16, arguing that gaming platforms present identical risks yet remain conspicuously exempt from the new legislation that took effect this week.
At Australia’s sole publicly-funded gaming disorder clinic in Perth’s Fiona Stanley Hospital, psychiatrist Dr. Daniela Vecchio witnesses firsthand how gaming and social media create interconnected addiction pathways. Her patients, including 15-year-old Sadmir Perviz who previously spent 10 hours daily gaming online, demonstrate how these digital environments foster similar dangers: excessive screen time, potential predator exposure, harmful content, and cyberbullying.
“Gaming and social media are so interconnected, it’s very difficult to separate,” Dr. Vecchio states. “The individual who plays games for excessive amounts of time also spends excessive amounts of time on social media platforms where they can see other gamers or can live stream gaming.”
The legislation targets ten social media platforms including Instagram, Snapchat and X, but exempts YouTube, TikTok, and all gaming platforms based on criteria focusing primarily on whether a platform’s main purpose involves social interaction. This exemption puzzles experts who point to platforms like Discord and Roblox – both facing child safety lawsuits in the US – where children frequently encounter explicit content and predatory behavior.
University of Sydney Professor Marcus Carter calls the approach “incompetence, it’s reactionary,” while Curtin University’s Professor Tama Leaver describes the ban as “too blunt a tool” that ignores the spectrum of gaming experiences from positive creative spaces to dangerous environments.
The clinic’s former patient Kevin Koo, 35, whose gaming addiction escalated after job loss during the pandemic, questions whether earlier restrictions might have prevented his struggles. His experience expanded beyond gaming to include problematic interactions with AI chatbots, highlighting additional digital risks unaddressed by current legislation.
With gaming disorder affecting 2.8% of Australian children according to Macquarie University research, and demand for treatment exceeding the clinic’s capacity, experts urge a more nuanced approach to digital protection that acknowledges the blended nature of modern online experiences.