Bravehearts’ Hetty Johnston wants global class action against social media giants

Leading child safety advocate Hetty Johnston says social media giants should face a global class action for failing to protect children.

Leading child safety advocate Hetty Johnston says social media giants should face a global class action for failing to protect children and the government should consider “flicking the switch” if they don’t adhere to Australian laws.

Ms Johnston, who founded child safety advocacy group Bravehearts, said social media companies needed to be held accountable.

She said she supported a raised age of 15 for children to use social media, if it worked, but believed more should be done to battle the giants who she claimed were “brainwashing” children with algorithms.

“I support age verification, if we can find a way to make that work,” Ms Johnston told The Courier-Mail.

“Children aged nine, 10, 11, 12 are watching porn.

“Kids are growing up thinking that anal sex is not really sex because I’m still a virgin.

“Slapping and punching and pulling hair is part of having normal sexual relationship; hitting your partner is fine because she’s just a b----. Killing her is fine.

“This is all the stuff that’s being promoted across the Net. And it is having an impact on everything we do.”
Ms Johnston said there was not much point in changing the age unless it could be enforced or respected, and she believed age verification was the solution.

Bravehearts founder Hetty Johnston

Taking a step further, Ms Johnston said social media organisations should face consequences like any Australian-based business did if people were hurt or killed because of content people posted on their platforms.

“Where in any one else’s country, where in anyone else’s mind can you open a business, throw open the front door and have mines everywhere that can kill you, or harm you and not be responsible for that?” Ms Johnston said.

“Why are we allowing our children to be brainwashed by algorithms, by people who don’t care about them, by people who have no concern about the wellbeing of those children.

“Why are we doing that?

“And you know, parents everywhere are frightened to take their phones off their kids, because this is now new culture.

“It is a rabbit hole. It’s going to take courage and political alliance.

“They (social media companies) understand those risks, and we have to make them accountable for that.

“And that’s going to take a global effort, and it’s going to take courage, but it’s our fault that we’ve just let them come on in and make the rules themselves.”

Ms Johnston said any changes to social media platforms, including laws, should be based on the best interest of the child.

She said there should be considerations to the companies facing sanctions in Australia and global class action should also be considered.

Hetty Johnston has taken aim at social media giants.

“They’re not going to come and make this platform safe because they’re good people, they don’t care,” Ms Johnston said.

“Every business has a responsibility and a duty of care and that includes them.

“And we would not let any business operate in this country that was killing people, maiming people, harming people intentionally because they’re just totally belligerent (and) they have no sense of care what happens to you.”

Ms Johnston said there was outcry from the Australian community when people died in the Dreamworld ride disaster.

“That’s a business that has a duty of care, no problem with that, they got what they deserved on that one. But so to do all these media platforms,” she said.

Ms Johnston said the companies shouldn’t be able to get away with harming children.

“We look at the churches, and it wasn’t until people started suing them in the courts, and it started being about money, that it started to change things,” she said.

“Sporting codes, they don’t do it unless have to do it.

“So we have to make the main social media platforms globally, have to do it.

“And the only way that can happen is if there’s a financial loss for them if they don’t, whether that’s by suing or whether that’s like China, they flick the switch and just cut them off until they behave the way they should behave.

“This is a global problem, not just an Australian problem.”

Originally published as Bravehearts’ Hetty Johnston wants global class action against social media giants