Expert warns social media is skewing kids’ view of the world

A Queensland mother who has seen social media’s damaging effects on her own children and believes proposed age restrictions are “long overdue”.

Kristen Roe at home with her 13-year-old son Alexander. Picture: Tara Croser.

Queensland mother Kristen Roe, who has four children aged 13 to 20, has spent years on the front line of online safety — both at home and through her work with Real Talk Australia, an e-safety provider delivering seminars to students, staff and parents across Australia and New Zealand.

She said the proposed delay to social media access for younger teens is not just welcome, but long overdue.

“From the research I have read, as well as what I have seen myself, brain development needs to be matured enough to be able to understand and process online content and situations,” she said.

“Younger teens have not had time to develop this social awareness or processing. It’s our job as parent to help our kids navigate this space when they are ready.”

In her work with parents nationwide, Ms Roe said the biggest concern is always the same.

“Parents are concerned about the addictive nature of the platforms, and also the negative content they get exposed to on social media,” she said.

“Kids’ perceptions of the world can easily be skewed and altered by whatever content the algorithm is feeding them.

“Another fear from parents is the safety of their children. Sextortion is a rising issue among parents, particularly from parents of teen boys who are contacted by predators via social media and gaming platforms.”

Ms Roe said she has also seen the impact first-hand of social media on her own older children.

“Quick examples would be screen addiction, being unable to function without their phone or becoming unduly frustrated when asked to take a break, comparison of themselves to others, increased anxiety, low motivation to do anything other than scroll, and procrastination,” she said.

“My youngest son who is 13 will be affected as he uses YouTube … We have spoken about the changes and have started to look into alternates.

“We want our kids to flourish in life and research shows that frequent social media use at a young age does not allow this.

“We can use this policy as an opportunity to let kids be kids and allow their brains to develop before they start using social media.”

Originally published as Expert warns social media is skewing kids’ view of the world