Parents take plea for help tackling social media harms on kids to Canberra

Social media is “toxic”, parents and mental health experts have warned Canberra’s politicians, telling them they must act to protect our kids.

Social media is “toxic”, parents and mental health experts have warned Canberra’s politicians, in a powerful plea for help protecting their kids against the “overwhelming tide” of online harms.

Bringing stories of heartbreak and resilience, and armed with devastating statistics the group travelled to Parliament House to ask Senators and MPs to better regulate the tech giants and raise the minimum age for social media to 16.

Supported by News Corp’s Let Them Be Kids campaign, the contingent of parents and experts from around Australia shared their experiences of losing children to suicide, struggling with eating disorders and suffering mental health harms they say can directly be traced to social media.

Their stories were heard by Labor MPs Daniel Mulino and Kate Thwaites, Coalition communications spokesman David Coleman, Queensland MP Andrew Wallace and Nationals Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.

Melbourne dad Wayne Holdsworth, founder of mental health awareness program Smacktalk, lost his 17-year-old son Mac to suicide in October last year, and said he hoped all sides of politics would act together to ensure “significant change”.

Parent Fiona Farrugia, Wayne Holdsworth, Clinical Psychologist Simon Wilksch Flinders University, parent and Executive Director Eating Disorders Families Australia Jane Rowan, parent Ali Halkic, Professor Selena Bartlett, Neuroscientist and parent Emma Mason gather at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“Many politicians have their own children, they see the potential issues,” he said.

Mr Holdsworth son had been a victim of sextortion, an issue Australian Federal Police have labelled a “crisis” as they receive thousands of reports of criminals targeting children every month.

“Sharing my story with strangers was difficult, but (the MPs) were empathetic and supportive and I have every faith in them to deliver massive change,” he said.

Wayne Holdsworth whose son died by suicide after falling victim to a sextortion plot online. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Brisbane parent Jane Rowan is the executive director of Eating Disorders Families Australia and said families felt helpless in combating the beauty standards, body image and other harmful messages perpetuating online.

“Whether it was causing the eating disorder or hampering recovery, the overwhelming sentiment is that social media is toxic,” she said.

Ms Rowan said the message from parents was a cry for help.

“I think the stories that were told in those meetings were incredibly powerful and that drove home the message that something needs to change,” she said.

“We’re at a pivotal point and parents can’t do it alone anymore, they need government intervention.”

Parents are supporting a push to raise the minimum age for social media to 16. Picture: Michael M. Santiago/ Getty Images

Sydney mum Emma Mason lost her 15-year-old daughter Matilda “Tilly” Rosewarne to suicide in February 2022 after she was subjected to torment in person and online.

Ms Mason said she came to Canberra to call on politicians to help parents protect their children.

“We are powerless against what is a tide of social media,” she said.

“The harms of social media are instant, and the impacts can be devastating. For Tily it was devastating.”

Tilly’s bullying escalated in the lead up to her death, with a fake nude image edited to have her face circulated between hundreds of her peers on Snapchat.

Tilly Rosewarne died by suicide aged 15 after experiencing bullying online and in person.

Ms Mason said when she tried to seek help for her daughter from both her school and law enforcement, there was minimal awareness of options such as reporting image-based abuse to the eSafety Commissioner to get it taken down.

“This is where raising the minimum age to 16 can also help, because it’s as simple as you can’t have that thing, it’s illegal,” she said.

Suicide and self harm has skyrocketed in children under 19 and eating disorders are up 200 per cent over the last 12 years,

More than 1850 children under 16 experienced cyber-bullying harmful enough to be reported to the eSafety Commission in 2023.

The most common form of abuse was people experiencing “nasty comments” or “serious name calling”, followed by “offensive/upsetting pictures and/or videos”. Kids are also reporting “fake accounts and impersonations”, “threats of violence,” and even “unwanted contact”.

Last month the federal government announced the establishment of a Joint Parliamentary Select Committee into social media to examine a range of harms to mental health, scams, child sex abuse, violent extremist material and misinformation.

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