Aussie mum’s heartbreaking plea to UN amid social media ban
The mother of Aussie teen Tilly, who took her own life after social media bullying, joins PM Anthony Albanese at the UN to spruik Australia’s new social media laws.
Anthony Albanese will spruik Australia’s new groundbreaking social media laws – aimed at stopping kids from accessing the platforms until they’re 16 – to global leaders.
Standing alongside him and making her own impassioned appeal at the United Nations General Assembly in New York (Wednesday night AEST) will be NSW mum Emma Mason, whose daughter Matilda ‘Tilly’ Rosewarne died aged 15 after being relentlessly bullied on social media.
Sparked by News Corp Australia’s Let Them Be Kids campaign, the new age restriction for children in Australia comes into effect in December.
The laws have garnered interest from across the world, including the European Union, with France already committing to its own version.
The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka are among the world leaders expected to attend the event titled Protecting Children in the Digital Age.
Earlier this week in New York, Mr Albanese said it was “a really important meeting” and the “globe is looking at this”.
“I’ve spoken to parents who’ve lost their young ones,” he said. “No parent should have to say goodbye to a child.”
He said the new rules will empower parents to say to their children, “No, you can’t do that”.
“Importantly it’s about giving agency to young people themselves to let them be kids,” he said.
“As the campaign says, it’s such a simple slogan that means so much.”
Ms Mason from Sydney, who was an integral part of News Corp’s campaign, will tell her daughter’s story at the event and appeal to global leaders to get on-board with social media age restrictions.
“This is the beginning of the fight – it’s not the end of the fight, it’s not even halfway through,” Ms Mason said.
eSafety boss Julie Inman Grant is also on a tour of the US and in the coming days will meet social media giants to discuss the nitty gritty of the legislation and what Australia expects of them.
She said the laws were imperative given that the “relative safety of any given platform can change on a dime”.
“Unfortunately a lot of these companies are moving backwards,” Ms Inman Grant said.
“They’re cutting their trust and safety teams. They are rolling back their safety policies rather than shoring them up.
“So you know a platform that might seem safe today could make some changes and tomorrow be pretty perilous for our kids.”
She said she would make it crystal clear she expects every account of someone under 16 to start to be deleted after the ban comes into place on December 10.
The platforms face fines of up to $49.5 million if they fail to comply with the new legislation.
After New York, Mr Albanese will travel to the United Kingdom for meetings with leaders including Sir Keir Starmer, before stopping in the United Arab Emirates on the return journey to meet with President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss free trade and economic partnerships.
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Originally published as Aussie mum’s heartbreaking plea to UN amid social media ban
