The mother of a teenager whose fake nude images circulated online says banning children under sixteen from social media won’t solve the main problem.

In June, around 50 female students at Bacchus Marsh Grammar in Victoria discovered that fake AI-generated nude images of themselves had been posted on social media.

A teenager was later arrested and released following the incident, while the school offered psychological support and counseling to the pupils involved.

Emily, who did not want to give her last name, said her daughter was among them.

“I think that’s always been the problem in every debate that comes up.

“You educate the boy and he doesn’t behave in a way that makes a girl feel unsafe.”

She said removing social media for girls 16 and under takes away their lifeline to understanding how to use their voice.

Emily also disagrees with the South Australian government’s plan to keep children under 14 away from social media.

“It’s about trusting your children,” she said.

“I believe in teaching children about responsible social media.”

Banning social media is a ‘bad idea’

Susan McLean, founder of Cyber ​​Safety Solutions, said she was also against the proposed ban.

“It’s poorly thought out and completely unworkable,” she said.

She said the government could have instead invested in educational initiatives and empowered parents.

“(The prime minister) is talking about the fact that if you’re 14 and you’re already here, you’re going to be deported,” she said.

“I think he’s going with the elves if he thinks the kids will go out voluntarily (social media).”

Ms McLean said she speaks to around 350,000 students around the world each year.

She said more than 80 percent of children under 13 already on social media were there with parental permission.

“A parent helped them lie to open their account, so raising the age to 16 won’t solve that problem because parents will continue to help their children lie,” she said.

“Especially since there are no consequences, the young person and the parent will not get in trouble if they are there, so how will it happen?

“Laws are of no use if they are not enforceable and enforced.”

The national cabinet on Thursday backed the federal government’s plan.

Main in favor

Andrew Neal, principal of Bacchus Marsh Grammar, said the incident at his school reinforced his belief that social media should be banned for growing minds.

“There will be some ongoing issues for the girls affected, but it’s been handled pretty well,” he said.

Mr Neal said the incident had also had a negative impact on male students at Bacchus Marsh Grammar.

“I think one of the lasting impacts is some resentment that students who had nothing to do with this process – and who, in fact, were instead supporting the girls directly affected – were hammered for two weeks by people who had no direct experience of the situation,” he said.

“They used social media to get their point across – expressions like all boys are ‘toxic men’.”

He said people were using social media to position themselves on an issue they understood very little about.

“This is another issue that proves why (social media) is such a problem,” he said.

Mr Neal said the argument that children would simply circumvent the new bans was a “diversion”.

“We have restrictions in place regarding student access to alcohol and cigarettes,” he said.