Mia Bannister’s warning to parents on ‘deadly’ social media

After tragically losing her son Ollie, Mia Bannister has issued a warning to parents about social media dangers as she launches a charity in his honour.

A beloved 14-year-old boy will forever be remembered in a new charity as his grieving mother – who blames social media for his death – issues a chilling warning to all parents.

Oliver Hughes developed anorexia nervosa and suicided in his Brisbane bedroom in January 2024, but mum Mia Bannister believes the loss of her only child could have been prevented.

“Parents need to realise how deadly social media can be and stop giving kids smartphones,” Ms Bannister, 52, said. “You can have a healthy, happy child one month, and one who loathes himself and suicides the next – it can happen that quickly.”

Ms Bannister has set up Ollie’s Echo: Pathways to Prevention to raise awareness of eating disorders in a generation insidiously influenced by social media.

Channelling pain into purpose, the property industry figure said she “will continue to live for Ollie” by helping others.

Mia Bannister and Oliver Hughes

“No young person should have to go through the pain Ollie suffered – kids need to be aware of how social media is weaponised against them,” she said. “Ollie became obsessed with TikTok videos of males ‘bulking up’ while despising his own body. The pressure to look a certain way, the language he used such as ‘micro’ and ‘macro’ nutrients, even the means he used to kill himself, all this came off social media.”

Ms Bannister backs The Courier-Mail’s Let Them Be Kids campaign, which resulted in lifting the legal minimum age for social media use to 16, but says the laws can only be as effective as the parents who abide by them.

“Tech giants are in it for the money, so it falls to parents to keep their kids off social media for as long as humanly possible,” she said.

Ms Bannister believes Ollie’s body dysmorphia triggered online bullying, including by a peer at Aspley State High and a student from Fortitude Valley State Secondary College, who posted on Snapchat that “he should go kill himself”.

Through Ollie’s Echo, Ms Bannister has begun sharing her son’s story with schools and community groups and advocating for research and support from government and authorities.

This month, after her maiden speech at Narangba Valley State High School, year 7 and 8 students queued to ask her more questions and “give hugs of thanks”.

“It’s bittersweet, but if we can save another child, it’s worth it,” Ms Bannister said.

She said eating disorders were typically associated with girls, but their incidence was on the rise in boys, who make up 30 per cent of sufferers.

Mia Bannister with her son, Ollie. Picture: supplied

Mia Bannister with her son, Ollie. Picture: supplied

“Despite my unwavering support, Ollie’s journey with this devastating illness was a constant fight and one he tragically could not win,” she said.

Ms Bannister, who is partnerships manager for the not-for-profit organisation Homes for Homes and a former long-time member of the Property Council of Australia, said she did everything she could to save her “little ginger nut”.

Ollie’s Echo launched on Thursday at an event sponsored by Queensland Children’s Clinic at Brisbane Powerhouse. Former radio star Ian Skippen was MC and guests included state Assistant Minister for Mental Health Donna Kirkland and Lady Mayoress Nina Schrinner.

Originally published as Mia Bannister’s warning to parents on ‘deadly’ social media