What Isabelle wished her parents (and the government) knew about social media

Isabelle Camp’s parents did everything they could to shield her from the harmful side of social media.

Her father, who works in IT, installed time limits on her devices, required permission for any new app downloads, and restricted websites she could access.

Isabelle Camp, 21, says social media became a safe place for her to talk to her friends about her mental health.Credit: Oscar Colman

While the 21-year-old believes the approach set her up with healthier social media habits for adulthood, it also denied her some of the benefits of being online.

“Growing up, I really struggled to make friends, and social media became a way for me to talk to people,” she said. “It also became a safe place for me to talk to my friends about my mental health, about what I was going through, and I was able to see people who were like me and be like, ‘OK, maybe the quirky little kid I am now isn’t going to be me forever.’ ”

More than two-thirds of 14- to 25-year-olds use social media to access mental health support, according to a report released by ReachOut on Tuesday.

The organisation is taking a group of young people to Parliament House in Canberra to meet politicians and voice their opposition to the Albanese government’s proposed age restrictions on social media.

Camp is not part of that group, but she does oppose the change, arguing it would be difficult to police and take responsibility away from tech giants and regulators “who really should be safeguarding these apps”.

Instead, she wants to see limits on harmful features such as infinite scrolling, and more transparency and control over content algorithms.

In the survey of more than 2000 social media users aged between 14 and 25, half of those facing mental health challenges revealed they used social media as a substitute for professional support – largely due to a lack of access to professional support (either because it is too expensive or too far away).

That came as no surprise to Professor Ian Hickie, co-director of health and policy at Sydney University’s Brain and Mind Centre, who said traditional mental health services were “not designed for young people”.

“They often seek help in the middle of the night, when clinics aren’t open,” he said. “They tend to trust those [online] resources more than professional resources, and they trust what other kids have to say.”

ReachOut director of services Jackie Hallan said social media was how many teenagers first seek support, and an outright ban risked closing the “front door to the mental health system”.

“We’re really concerned that a ban won’t make social media platforms safer now, and could actually do significant harm,” she said.

Hallan welcomed Meta’s new “teen accounts” that put tighter constraints on teenagers using Instagram, but said it was important parents tried to understand how their teenagers were using social media – and why.

A spokesman for Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said: “While young Australians pointed to the benefits of connection, they also acknowledged the harms that can come from addictive algorithms and harmful content.”

Crisis support is available from Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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