Talk about setting the cat amongst the social media pigeons.

You might have caught the news that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened a meeting of state premiers on Friday to discuss his plans to introduce a social media ban for kids under 16.

Announcing that he was ‘calling time’ on the harm done to our kids via exposure to social media, the PM put the likes of TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and YouTube on notice.

And while you could probably count on one hand the number of parents who don’t share the government’s concerns – the devil is very definitely going to be in the detail. And specifically, the devil of a time parents are going to have trying to police the new online world order.

It’s early days, and bans won’t be introduced for at least a year as the specifics are nutted out, but watching tech companies and the government engage in hand-to-hand combat now will be quite the spectacle. Pass the popcorn .

If you’ve been playing along at home, you’ll know we’ve had a horse in this race for a while now. Or rather, a cartoon detective dog called Squiz-E.

As I said when I gave evidence to the Parliamentary Inquiry on Social Media last month, age restrictions and bans are all worth trying. The scale of the problem, afterall, is big enough to require multiple remedies. But surely it all has to start with education. Teach our kids at a young age how to think critically about the information with which they’re bombarded on a daily basis. Teach them to Stop, Think and Check.

As 15-year-old Ruby Smith told the Australian Financial Review at the weekend when asked to comment on the PM’s plans: “It is punishing everyone just to stop the kids and adults that are not doing the right thing … Most children are willing to learn, it’s just they have spent their lives not being taught.”

Well said, Ruby. Well, said.

Making the most of the end-of-term

Surely I’m not the only one alarmed that Christmas ads are already on the telly and the shopping centre halls are well-and-truly decked with boughs of holly.

Classrooms all over the nation are in wind-down mode, as exhausted teachers and students limp towards the finish line.

Allow me to suggest an end-of-Term-4 classroom activity that is both fun AND educational. A constructive use of those languid pre-summer school days. Or at least more infinitely constructive than re-watching Home Alone for the eleventy-hundredth time.

Newshounds – Squiz Kids’ free media literacy course for primary school kids – is the perfect way to finish the year. It’s plug-and-play, meaning all a classroom needs is an internet connection. A comprehensive teacher manual makes every educator an instant expert and the fact it’s curriculum-aligned means they’re ticking learning outcome boxes. Plus the virtual game-board format (see below) makes it super engaging for kids.

Teachers can sign-up for a free Newshounds account via our website. Parents – if you want to draw your school’s attention to Newshounds, we’ve very helpfully created a letter you can print off or download and send to them. Because we like to give.

And a shout-out to the excellent Sarah Weston – aka @giftedandtalentedteacher on Instagram – for her continued support for Newshounds and the whole Squiz Kids caper. If you’re a teacher and you’re in the market for excellent classroom resources, you won’t find better than the ones she produces. Plus she’s an awesome human – so get behind her!

This week on Squiz Kids …

As today is Remembrance Day, this week’s Squiz Kids Shortcut is on Australia At War. 

Dropping first thing tomorrow, it’s a brand new, kid-friendly deep-dive explaining the different theatres of war in which Australian troops have fought – how and why they happened, the symbolism of them and why it’s important we commemorate them.

If your kids come home asking why we wear poppies, the meaning of the Ode of Remembrance or the significance of 11 November – this is the podcast for you.

On our radar …

We’re up to our eyeballs all day, everyday in all things kids and parenting. So when we see an article or come across a topic we think you might be interested in, we’ll post it here.

Social media bans … there’s a lot to unpack in this very significant government announcement. This ABC article gives a comprehensive overview of the recent development and its implications. This article gives an interesting snapshot of how other countries have tried (and failed) to implement bans. This article calls it a lonely road. And this article argues the science behind bans is mixed. Make up your own mind.

100 best children’s books … the BBC polled 177 book experts from around the world to compile a list of the Top 100 Childrens’ Books of all time. There are some crackers in there, including some seriously good stocking filler options, in my humble opinion.

They didn’t come away with the win and it wasn’t quite the fairytale finish some had hoped for, but we were all Tongan for a moment on Sunday afternoon as the plucky little South Pacific nation bravely went down against Australia in the Pacific Cup rugby league final. And that’s because no-one quite does spectating like a Tongan crowd. Have a listen here to 20,000-odd Tongan fans in full song and tell me you’re not moved. Just magic.