Premier Peter Malinauskas suspends his social media for Unplug24

Prolific social media poster Premier Peter Malinauskas will switch off social media for a day to highlight the damage it can cause.

Premier Peter Malinauskas will suspend his prolific social media posts for a day as part of a campaign to highlight the damage online abuse can cause and promote safety.

Joining in the national day of action on Thursday through Unplug24, Mr Malinauskas will highlight the case of Mac Holdsworth, 17, who tragically took his own life a year ago after being blackmailed by someone using fake social media accounts.

Marking the first anniversary of Mac’s death, Unplug24 has been created by his father, Wayne, in the hope that it could make a difference, shine a light on the damage that can be done on social media and save the lives of others.

“You won’t see anything posted on my social media tomorrow. And it’s because of 17-year-old Mac,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“Losing your own child is just unimaginable. But it’s the reality for Mac’s dad, Wayne. And now, to raise awareness and funds to help prevent sexual extortion and suicide, Wayne has launched his own charity, SmackTalk, and has set a challenge, Unplug24 – a movement to stay off social media for 24 hours on October 24.

Premier Peter Malinauskas speaks in Sydney on October 10, on the first day of a two-day Social Media Summit staged in Sydney and Adelaide. Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard

“Social media can be used for good – but can cause harm when used by the wrong people. And it’s why tomorrow (Thursday), I’ll be off social media to raise awareness of the good work Wayne is doing.”

Mr Malinauskas on October 11 used a social media summit to announce that dangers of social media and online safety strategies would be taught to students across the state, as part of child safety reforms to the school curriculum.

Opposition Leader Vincent Tarzia urged Mr Malinauskas to “get on with the job of implementing substantive solutions that reduce the potential negative impacts of social media use on children”.

“We recognise the importance of responsible social media use and will continue to support reforms that protect young people from its harmful effects,” he said.

Originally published as Premier Peter Malinauskas suspends his social media for Unplug24