Dropping a single word from a research finding can change the entire story

Katrina Colombie
16 hours ago
2 min read

I just read an interesting Newsroom piece on the social media age restriction policy in Australian and parents' experience since it’s introduction. When I compared the article's statements to the actual YouGov data, something didn’t add up.

The strongest findings, that 43%, 38%, 38% of parents, respectively, reported improvements in “face-to-face interaction”, “presence and engagement”, and “parent-child relationships”, were reduced to "some parents reported improvements."

Meanwhile, while the original statistic showed that 27% of parents reported their child had shifted to "alternative or less regulated platforms", the Newsroom piece stated that kids had shifted to "less-regulated (more dangerous) corners of the internet."

Dropping the word "alternative" and introducing the words “(more dangerous) corners of the internet” changes the whole meaning. Suddenly, kids aren’t just using different platforms they are being pushed into danger.

I’m not an academic. Is this normal in academia?

This is the quote:

“Early evidence from Australia after it introduced a ban found some parents reported improvements in family relationships and more face-to-face interaction. But around a quarter said their children felt less socially connected or had lost access to peer support networks. A similar proportion reported their children migrating to less-regulated (more dangerous) corners of the internet instead.”

What the research actually said:

This is what the research actually said:

Parents report behavioural shifts, both positive and negative:

Positives:

· 43% noticed more in-person social interactions

· 38% said their children are more present and engaged during interactions

· 38% reported improved parent-child relationships

Negatives:

· 27% reporting increased digital inequality or unequal access

· 27% noting a shift to alternative or less regulated platforms [so they left out the alternative, which could include gaming platforms, and messaging apps]

· 25% observing reduced social connection, creativity, or peer support online