Australia plans kids’ social media ban: BBC Learning English from the News

From BBC Learning English,

this is Learning English from the News - our podcast about the news headlines.

In this programme: Banning teenagers from social media -

could this happen in Australia?

Hello, I'm Phil. And I'm Georgie.

In this programme we look at one big news story

and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it.

You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode,

as well as a worksheet on our website: BBCLearningEnglish.com

So let's hear more about this story.

Okay, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced plans

to ban young people from social media sites.

The ban is likely to apply to children under 14,

but critics have questioned whether it can actually be enforced.

Also, some people are worried that this approach may block young people

from information about important issues.

And I have a headline here that talks about this announcement.

It's from GB News. Australia set to ban social media for children under 14:

'Enough is enough'

That headline again.

Australia set to ban social media for children under 14:

'Enough is enough'

And that's from GB News.

This headline is talking about

Australian Prime Minister Albanese's announcement.

And we have this expression 'enough is enough'.

Now, we all know what enough means, but when do we use it like this?

We usually use it when a problem has carried on for too long,

or become so serious that we just want it to stop.

Yes, and often it's used

when you're about to do something about the problem, isn't it?

Yes. So, um, well, it's related to this story, actually.

But, um, in my home, we got fed up with our children being

on their phones all weekend, so we just said "enough is enough",

and now we only let them have their phones for an hour

a day. Wow, Phil.

That's a bit harsh!

It's for their own good.

We've had enough is enough -

what we say when we want a problem to stop.

So, for example, the price of petrol has gone up so much

I just said enough is enough and bought a bicycle.

This is Learning English from The News, our podcast about the news headlines.

Today we're talking about a proposed ban on young people using social media

in Australia.

Now, this measure is controversial

and has been criticised by some experts in youth mental health.

Yes, they've pointed out that banning children from social media

could leave them cut off from sources of mental health support

and limit their opportunity to voice their concerns about different issues.

And our next headline is about this.

It's from the South Coast Register in Australia.

Social media ban poses barrier to mental health support.

Okay, let's hear that again.

That's social media ban poses barrier to mental health support.

And that's from the South Coast Register.

Okay, so this headline is saying that a ban on social media

for young people could stop them accessing mental health support.

And we're looking at the verb 'pose'.

Now pose makes me think of posing for a photo,

but what sense is it being used in here?

Okay, pose has different meanings,

but used like it is in this headline - pose a barrier -

it can mean 'cause'. That's right,

so something can pose a threat, pose a problem and, in this case, pose a barrier.

Also, if something poses a question, it raises an issue

and makes us think about it.

Yes, now it is quite formal,

so you're probably more likely to see it written down.

You might see a report saying 'high interest rates pose a barrier

to home ownership.'

So we had pose and it means cause.

For example, high fees pose a barrier to university access.

This is Learning English from the News from BBC Learning English.

We're talking about a proposed ban on social media

for young people in Australia.

Another criticism of the Australian government's planned social media ban

is that it might just lead children to access different kinds of websites

that could be even more risky than big social media sites.

And here's our next headline.

This is from The Guardian in the UK.

Australia's dummy spit over kids on social media isn't the answer.

We need an internet for children.

Okay. And again,

Australia's dummy spit over kids on social media isn't the answer.

We need an internet for children.

And that's from the Guardian.

So the writer of this headline is saying that just banning social media

is unlikely to solve the problems that children have online.

And the expression we're looking at is 'dummy spit'.

Can you tell us a bit more, Phil?

Okay, well, this is a noun phrase that's been taken from an idiom

to spit out your dummy.

Now a dummy -

that's what you give a baby.

It's the thing that you put in their mouth

that they can suck on to calm down.

Yes, the idiom to spit out your dummy is not literal,

but it refers to an angry reaction to something.

It might also be suggesting that the reaction is a bit childish.

And we actually have another expression with a similar meaning throw your toys

out of the pram, which again means you react in a childish or dramatic way.

Yes, you wouldn't usually say someone spat out their dummy

if you agree with their reaction, it's quite critical.

Yeah, and perhaps if you thought someone was complaining unfairly

about something at work,

then you could maybe say "Oh, they're just spitting out their dummy." Exactly.

So we had spit out your dummy - to react in a childish way.

For example, don't spit your dummy out -

I just asked you to tidy up!

That's it for this episode of Learning English from the News.

We'll be back next week with another news story.

Now, if you've enjoyed this programme

and you really want to learn some new idioms,

search for our podcast Learning English Conversations

in your favourite podcast app.

And don't forget we're on social media. Search for BBC Learning English.

Bye for now. Goodbye.