Beware of franchising the Snapchat generation

The Advertiser

23-07-2025

This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
At 16, I knew everything. About history, politics, music, cars, motorbikes, life in general. Adulthood and its attendant right to drive, vote, and stay out late couldn't come fast enough for someone so confident in their own knowledge about the world around them.
It finally arrived, legally at least, when I turned 18, just four years after the voting age was lowered in the first substantive legislative change enacted by the Whitlam government. And it was when adulthood arrived - and the law required me to vote in the 1977 federal election - that I realised I actually knew very little. About history, politics, music, cars, etc.
The simple certainty of youthful me has been eroded ever since. The acquisition of knowledge is like that - the more you know, the more you realise you don't know. Which is why I'm ambivalent about the UK's decision to lower the voting age to 16.
I can see both sides of the argument. Sixteen-year-olds can work and pay taxes. And it's their futures that will be affected by government policies. They can already vote for local representatives in Scotland and Wales, but not in England and Northern Ireland.
On the other hand, as pointed out by the Tories who oppose the move, they can't drive, buy alcohol, marry or go to war. Nor can they stand as candidates.
The law is likely to pass because of Labour's commanding majority, which will no doubt fuel calls for Australia to follow suit. But before we jump on the bandwagon, we should take note of one key difference. In the UK, 16-year-olds will not be compelled to vote. Here, it would be compulsory.
In principle, fine. But in reality, a likely very different story.
Earlier this year, national curriculum testing revealed knowledge of civics among young Australians was at its lowest level on record. A worrying percentage of Year 10 students struggled with basic concepts such as the three levels of government and the difference between a referendum and a general election.
Add to that the large number of voters casting informal ballots at the last election. Gough Whitlam's old seat of Werriwa recorded the highest number of informal votes out of all electorates. We can assume some of those informal votes were intentional, but the vast majority would have been cast in error, meaning more than 17 per cent of voters in the seat denied themselves their democratic right.
These were adults. Would tipping younger teenagers into the mix make matters worse?
Probably not if civics were drummed into them as it was in the dark ages of my teen years. It might have been dry as dust, but rote learning about Parliament, the three different levels of government and the courts served us as well as mastering the times tables.
Of course, back then there was no internet and no social media platforms roiling with disinformation and toxic ideology. There was a manosphere, but it was out in the open, expressed by "rock apes" as they were known, doing Friday night laps of Canberra's Civic centre in hotted-up EH Holdens.
If the federal government can come up with an effective under-16 ban on social media, I'll be more comfortable with lowering the voting age. But until that happens, we're safer with the status quo.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Should 16-year-olds be given the vote? If so, should such a move be delayed until the under-16 social media ban comes into force? Should we be concerned about the large number of informal votes at this year's election? Do we need more compulsory civics education? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- The Reserve Bank of Australia was blindsided by a surprise jump in unemployment, a read-out of its shock rate-hold meeting has revealed.
- Accused pedophile Joshua Dale Brown won't face court again until next year, after a magistrate gave police more time to gather evidence against him.
- Australia has decried Israel's "drip feeding of aid and inhumane killing" of civilians in Gaza as pro-Palestine protesters rally in the nation's capital on the first day of Parliament.
THEY SAID IT: "Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
YOU SAID IT: As the cheating CEO and his HR executive have learned, it's foolish to misbehave in public with so many cameras about.
Paddy remembers how his late father, a linesman working in Woolloomooloo, was caught after availing himself of a keg that had rolled off a brewery truck: "After a while, a crowd of wharfies, dogmen, sailors and passers-by assembled and started to help drink the keg. Believe it or not, they managed to have what would be called a block party today without Twitter or Instagram. A passing reporter snapped several photos of the afternoon's events and whisked them off to the Daily Telegraph." Paddy's dad was upbraided the next day by his boss. "His boss was furious. He ranted and raved at Dad. After about five minutes, he pointed to a phone box in the background of the photo and asked 'Don, why didn't you ring me? I could have used a beer yesterday!'"
"About 20 years ago, there was an incident at the Oz Open tennis in Melbourne on Channel 7, which took the cake," writes Bill. The TV director was bored and had his cameras scanning the punters in the far top seats. Suddenly, there was a quick pan back. Yep - there was a young couple having sex on the top rung. The commentators saw it, made mention, and returned to the contest on the court."
Lee writes: "I think the only camera that has 'caught' me is a speed camera sending me a fine for doing 55 in a 50 zone. I do feel very sorry for the families involved. They most likely didn't have a clue, and now the whole world knows. How horrible for them. They must be hurting badly."
"People talk about poor judgment - but no one is talking about how wrong it is, in my view, to be publicly outed without consent," writes Mike. "That screen didn't just show faces; it blew up lives. He has two children and she has one child."
Sue writes: "Everything is caught on camera, but even people who film everything they can seem to think that they are immune to being caught on camera themselves - until they are, and then they complain about a lack of privacy! Go figure!"
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
At 16, I knew everything. About history, politics, music, cars, motorbikes, life in general. Adulthood and its attendant right to drive, vote, and stay out late couldn't come fast enough for someone so confident in their own knowledge about the world around them.
It finally arrived, legally at least, when I turned 18, just four years after the voting age was lowered in the first substantive legislative change enacted by the Whitlam government. And it was when adulthood arrived - and the law required me to vote in the 1977 federal election - that I realised I actually knew very little. About history, politics, music, cars, etc.
The simple certainty of youthful me has been eroded ever since. The acquisition of knowledge is like that - the more you know, the more you realise you don't know. Which is why I'm ambivalent about the UK's decision to lower the voting age to 16.
I can see both sides of the argument. Sixteen-year-olds can work and pay taxes. And it's their futures that will be affected by government policies. They can already vote for local representatives in Scotland and Wales, but not in England and Northern Ireland.
On the other hand, as pointed out by the Tories who oppose the move, they can't drive, buy alcohol, marry or go to war. Nor can they stand as candidates.
The law is likely to pass because of Labour's commanding majority, which will no doubt fuel calls for Australia to follow suit. But before we jump on the bandwagon, we should take note of one key difference. In the UK, 16-year-olds will not be compelled to vote. Here, it would be compulsory.
In principle, fine. But in reality, a likely very different story.
Earlier this year, national curriculum testing revealed knowledge of civics among young Australians was at its lowest level on record. A worrying percentage of Year 10 students struggled with basic concepts such as the three levels of government and the difference between a referendum and a general election.
Add to that the large number of voters casting informal ballots at the last election. Gough Whitlam's old seat of Werriwa recorded the highest number of informal votes out of all electorates. We can assume some of those informal votes were intentional, but the vast majority would have been cast in error, meaning more than 17 per cent of voters in the seat denied themselves their democratic right.
These were adults. Would tipping younger teenagers into the mix make matters worse?
Probably not if civics were drummed into them as it was in the dark ages of my teen years. It might have been dry as dust, but rote learning about Parliament, the three different levels of government and the courts served us as well as mastering the times tables.
Of course, back then there was no internet and no social media platforms roiling with disinformation and toxic ideology. There was a manosphere, but it was out in the open, expressed by "rock apes" as they were known, doing Friday night laps of Canberra's Civic centre in hotted-up EH Holdens.
If the federal government can come up with an effective under-16 ban on social media, I'll be more comfortable with lowering the voting age. But until that happens, we're safer with the status quo.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Should 16-year-olds be given the vote? If so, should such a move be delayed until the under-16 social media ban comes into force? Should we be concerned about the large number of informal votes at this year's election? Do we need more compulsory civics education? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- The Reserve Bank of Australia was blindsided by a surprise jump in unemployment, a read-out of its shock rate-hold meeting has revealed.
- Accused pedophile Joshua Dale Brown won't face court again until next year, after a magistrate gave police more time to gather evidence against him.
- Australia has decried Israel's "drip feeding of aid and inhumane killing" of civilians in Gaza as pro-Palestine protesters rally in the nation's capital on the first day of Parliament.
THEY SAID IT: "Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
YOU SAID IT: As the cheating CEO and his HR executive have learned, it's foolish to misbehave in public with so many cameras about.
Paddy remembers how his late father, a linesman working in Woolloomooloo, was caught after availing himself of a keg that had rolled off a brewery truck: "After a while, a crowd of wharfies, dogmen, sailors and passers-by assembled and started to help drink the keg. Believe it or not, they managed to have what would be called a block party today without Twitter or Instagram. A passing reporter snapped several photos of the afternoon's events and whisked them off to the Daily Telegraph." Paddy's dad was upbraided the next day by his boss. "His boss was furious. He ranted and raved at Dad. After about five minutes, he pointed to a phone box in the background of the photo and asked 'Don, why didn't you ring me? I could have used a beer yesterday!'"
"About 20 years ago, there was an incident at the Oz Open tennis in Melbourne on Channel 7, which took the cake," writes Bill. The TV director was bored and had his cameras scanning the punters in the far top seats. Suddenly, there was a quick pan back. Yep - there was a young couple having sex on the top rung. The commentators saw it, made mention, and returned to the contest on the court."
Lee writes: "I think the only camera that has 'caught' me is a speed camera sending me a fine for doing 55 in a 50 zone. I do feel very sorry for the families involved. They most likely didn't have a clue, and now the whole world knows. How horrible for them. They must be hurting badly."
"People talk about poor judgment - but no one is talking about how wrong it is, in my view, to be publicly outed without consent," writes Mike. "That screen didn't just show faces; it blew up lives. He has two children and she has one child."
Sue writes: "Everything is caught on camera, but even people who film everything they can seem to think that they are immune to being caught on camera themselves - until they are, and then they complain about a lack of privacy! Go figure!"
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
At 16, I knew everything. About history, politics, music, cars, motorbikes, life in general. Adulthood and its attendant right to drive, vote, and stay out late couldn't come fast enough for someone so confident in their own knowledge about the world around them.
It finally arrived, legally at least, when I turned 18, just four years after the voting age was lowered in the first substantive legislative change enacted by the Whitlam government. And it was when adulthood arrived - and the law required me to vote in the 1977 federal election - that I realised I actually knew very little. About history, politics, music, cars, etc.
The simple certainty of youthful me has been eroded ever since. The acquisition of knowledge is like that - the more you know, the more you realise you don't know. Which is why I'm ambivalent about the UK's decision to lower the voting age to 16.
I can see both sides of the argument. Sixteen-year-olds can work and pay taxes. And it's their futures that will be affected by government policies. They can already vote for local representatives in Scotland and Wales, but not in England and Northern Ireland.
On the other hand, as pointed out by the Tories who oppose the move, they can't drive, buy alcohol, marry or go to war. Nor can they stand as candidates.
The law is likely to pass because of Labour's commanding majority, which will no doubt fuel calls for Australia to follow suit. But before we jump on the bandwagon, we should take note of one key difference. In the UK, 16-year-olds will not be compelled to vote. Here, it would be compulsory.
In principle, fine. But in reality, a likely very different story.
Earlier this year, national curriculum testing revealed knowledge of civics among young Australians was at its lowest level on record. A worrying percentage of Year 10 students struggled with basic concepts such as the three levels of government and the difference between a referendum and a general election.
Add to that the large number of voters casting informal ballots at the last election. Gough Whitlam's old seat of Werriwa recorded the highest number of informal votes out of all electorates. We can assume some of those informal votes were intentional, but the vast majority would have been cast in error, meaning more than 17 per cent of voters in the seat denied themselves their democratic right.
These were adults. Would tipping younger teenagers into the mix make matters worse?
Probably not if civics were drummed into them as it was in the dark ages of my teen years. It might have been dry as dust, but rote learning about Parliament, the three different levels of government and the courts served us as well as mastering the times tables.
Of course, back then there was no internet and no social media platforms roiling with disinformation and toxic ideology. There was a manosphere, but it was out in the open, expressed by "rock apes" as they were known, doing Friday night laps of Canberra's Civic centre in hotted-up EH Holdens.
If the federal government can come up with an effective under-16 ban on social media, I'll be more comfortable with lowering the voting age. But until that happens, we're safer with the status quo.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Should 16-year-olds be given the vote? If so, should such a move be delayed until the under-16 social media ban comes into force? Should we be concerned about the large number of informal votes at this year's election? Do we need more compulsory civics education? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- The Reserve Bank of Australia was blindsided by a surprise jump in unemployment, a read-out of its shock rate-hold meeting has revealed.
- Accused pedophile Joshua Dale Brown won't face court again until next year, after a magistrate gave police more time to gather evidence against him.
- Australia has decried Israel's "drip feeding of aid and inhumane killing" of civilians in Gaza as pro-Palestine protesters rally in the nation's capital on the first day of Parliament.
THEY SAID IT: "Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
YOU SAID IT: As the cheating CEO and his HR executive have learned, it's foolish to misbehave in public with so many cameras about.
Paddy remembers how his late father, a linesman working in Woolloomooloo, was caught after availing himself of a keg that had rolled off a brewery truck: "After a while, a crowd of wharfies, dogmen, sailors and passers-by assembled and started to help drink the keg. Believe it or not, they managed to have what would be called a block party today without Twitter or Instagram. A passing reporter snapped several photos of the afternoon's events and whisked them off to the Daily Telegraph." Paddy's dad was upbraided the next day by his boss. "His boss was furious. He ranted and raved at Dad. After about five minutes, he pointed to a phone box in the background of the photo and asked 'Don, why didn't you ring me? I could have used a beer yesterday!'"
"About 20 years ago, there was an incident at the Oz Open tennis in Melbourne on Channel 7, which took the cake," writes Bill. The TV director was bored and had his cameras scanning the punters in the far top seats. Suddenly, there was a quick pan back. Yep - there was a young couple having sex on the top rung. The commentators saw it, made mention, and returned to the contest on the court."
Lee writes: "I think the only camera that has 'caught' me is a speed camera sending me a fine for doing 55 in a 50 zone. I do feel very sorry for the families involved. They most likely didn't have a clue, and now the whole world knows. How horrible for them. They must be hurting badly."
"People talk about poor judgment - but no one is talking about how wrong it is, in my view, to be publicly outed without consent," writes Mike. "That screen didn't just show faces; it blew up lives. He has two children and she has one child."
Sue writes: "Everything is caught on camera, but even people who film everything they can seem to think that they are immune to being caught on camera themselves - until they are, and then they complain about a lack of privacy! Go figure!"
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
At 16, I knew everything. About history, politics, music, cars, motorbikes, life in general. Adulthood and its attendant right to drive, vote, and stay out late couldn't come fast enough for someone so confident in their own knowledge about the world around them.
It finally arrived, legally at least, when I turned 18, just four years after the voting age was lowered in the first substantive legislative change enacted by the Whitlam government. And it was when adulthood arrived - and the law required me to vote in the 1977 federal election - that I realised I actually knew very little. About history, politics, music, cars, etc.
The simple certainty of youthful me has been eroded ever since. The acquisition of knowledge is like that - the more you know, the more you realise you don't know. Which is why I'm ambivalent about the UK's decision to lower the voting age to 16.
I can see both sides of the argument. Sixteen-year-olds can work and pay taxes. And it's their futures that will be affected by government policies. They can already vote for local representatives in Scotland and Wales, but not in England and Northern Ireland.
On the other hand, as pointed out by the Tories who oppose the move, they can't drive, buy alcohol, marry or go to war. Nor can they stand as candidates.
The law is likely to pass because of Labour's commanding majority, which will no doubt fuel calls for Australia to follow suit. But before we jump on the bandwagon, we should take note of one key difference. In the UK, 16-year-olds will not be compelled to vote. Here, it would be compulsory.
In principle, fine. But in reality, a likely very different story.
Earlier this year, national curriculum testing revealed knowledge of civics among young Australians was at its lowest level on record. A worrying percentage of Year 10 students struggled with basic concepts such as the three levels of government and the difference between a referendum and a general election.
Add to that the large number of voters casting informal ballots at the last election. Gough Whitlam's old seat of Werriwa recorded the highest number of informal votes out of all electorates. We can assume some of those informal votes were intentional, but the vast majority would have been cast in error, meaning more than 17 per cent of voters in the seat denied themselves their democratic right.
These were adults. Would tipping younger teenagers into the mix make matters worse?
Probably not if civics were drummed into them as it was in the dark ages of my teen years. It might have been dry as dust, but rote learning about Parliament, the three different levels of government and the courts served us as well as mastering the times tables.
Of course, back then there was no internet and no social media platforms roiling with disinformation and toxic ideology. There was a manosphere, but it was out in the open, expressed by "rock apes" as they were known, doing Friday night laps of Canberra's Civic centre in hotted-up EH Holdens.
If the federal government can come up with an effective under-16 ban on social media, I'll be more comfortable with lowering the voting age. But until that happens, we're safer with the status quo.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Should 16-year-olds be given the vote? If so, should such a move be delayed until the under-16 social media ban comes into force? Should we be concerned about the large number of informal votes at this year's election? Do we need more compulsory civics education? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- The Reserve Bank of Australia was blindsided by a surprise jump in unemployment, a read-out of its shock rate-hold meeting has revealed.
- Accused pedophile Joshua Dale Brown won't face court again until next year, after a magistrate gave police more time to gather evidence against him.
- Australia has decried Israel's "drip feeding of aid and inhumane killing" of civilians in Gaza as pro-Palestine protesters rally in the nation's capital on the first day of Parliament.
THEY SAID IT: "Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
YOU SAID IT: As the cheating CEO and his HR executive have learned, it's foolish to misbehave in public with so many cameras about.
Paddy remembers how his late father, a linesman working in Woolloomooloo, was caught after availing himself of a keg that had rolled off a brewery truck: "After a while, a crowd of wharfies, dogmen, sailors and passers-by assembled and started to help drink the keg. Believe it or not, they managed to have what would be called a block party today without Twitter or Instagram. A passing reporter snapped several photos of the afternoon's events and whisked them off to the Daily Telegraph." Paddy's dad was upbraided the next day by his boss. "His boss was furious. He ranted and raved at Dad. After about five minutes, he pointed to a phone box in the background of the photo and asked 'Don, why didn't you ring me? I could have used a beer yesterday!'"
"About 20 years ago, there was an incident at the Oz Open tennis in Melbourne on Channel 7, which took the cake," writes Bill. The TV director was bored and had his cameras scanning the punters in the far top seats. Suddenly, there was a quick pan back. Yep - there was a young couple having sex on the top rung. The commentators saw it, made mention, and returned to the contest on the court."
Lee writes: "I think the only camera that has 'caught' me is a speed camera sending me a fine for doing 55 in a 50 zone. I do feel very sorry for the families involved. They most likely didn't have a clue, and now the whole world knows. How horrible for them. They must be hurting badly."
"People talk about poor judgment - but no one is talking about how wrong it is, in my view, to be publicly outed without consent," writes Mike. "That screen didn't just show faces; it blew up lives. He has two children and she has one child."
Sue writes: "Everything is caught on camera, but even people who film everything they can seem to think that they are immune to being caught on camera themselves - until they are, and then they complain about a lack of privacy! Go figure!"