‘We’re watching’: World leader’s Aussie praise
World leaders have heaped praise on Australia after a Sydney mum’s story stunned people into silence at the United Nations in New York.
A Sydney mum has received a hug from one world leader and received effusive praise from another as she stunned into silence some of the most powerful people in the world at the United Nations.
Many in the audience in New York were in tears as Emma Mason, from Sydney’s inner west, laid out in confronting detail how her daughter Tilly died from suicide aged 15.
“This was death by bullying, but it was enabled by social media,” she said.
On Wednesday, Ms Mason joined Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the UN General Assembly in the US to spruik Australia’s world leading plan to ban social media for under 16s.
The ban comes in the wake of News Corp Australia’s Let Them Be Kids initiative which campaigned to reduce the devastating harms social media is causing kids.
But, in New York, the PM admitted the implementation of the ban “won’t be perfect” and some kids will try and find a way around it.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, one of the world’s most powerful leaders, joined Mr Albanese and Ms Mason.
“I’ve been inspired by Australia’s example – you are the first to give this a try” Ms von der Leyen said.
“We in Europe are watching and will be learning from you as you implement your world first and world leading social media ban.”
The EU is considering a similar social media restriction.
‘Three years not shaped by an algorithm’
Mr Albanese said the restriction, which comes into effect on December 10 and ups the minimum social media age from 13 to 16, would give children “three more years of being shaped by real life experience, not shaped by algorithms”.
“Three more years to get better at spotting the fakes and dangers and learning the difference between online followers and real friends,” he said.
“One of the questions that we got was: how will people interact and communicate with each other?
“How about people talk to each other and have that normal human to human interaction?”
The PM said he’s had the “solemn privilege” of speaking to parents whose children had “felt the full devastating impact social media can have”.
That included young teens being subject to online sexual extortion, he said.
“I’ve listened to their stories of girls and boys with bright futures, only to be so overwhelmed by what got to them through their social media accounts that they simply didn’t see any other way for the pain to end.
“Some (parents) remain on the long journey with their children towards healing. Others, devastatingly, have lost a child to suicide.”
Tilly’s social media descent to suicide
One of those children that have been lost is Ms Mason’s daughter Matilda “Tilly” Rosewarne. She died in 2022 after ferocious bullying online.
“My brave little girl, determined to look pretty, put on her makeup one last time.
“She planned this moment out in detail – exhausted and broken, she just couldn’t fight anymore … and stepped off into whatever experience eventually awaits us all.
“Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok – they all played their deadly part”.
Tilly, Ms Mason said, was already being targeted by hurtful remarks online.
Then a fake nude photo of Tilly was circulated on Snapchat.
“It reached at first five children, by 4pm 300 children, and by 6pm over 3000 children.
“The harm was instant. Tilly was hysterical and spiralling.
“Social media giants must take responsibility for protecting our children, because across the globe … they’re dying as a direct result of their social media engagement”.
Hugged by world leaders
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who listened to Ms Mason’s heartbreak, hugged after her speech.
“It must take a lot of courage to turn your personal suffering into this very powerful call for action,” he said to the mum of two who used to live in Bathurst.
Ms von der Leyan was also moved by Ms Mason.
“Emma, it’s not easy to speak after you,” she said.
Ban ‘won’t be perfect’: Albanese
But Mr Albanese has acknowledged implementing age restrictions on social media won’t be foolproof.
“We don’t pretend that it will be perfect. It’s possible that sometime over the weekend, someone under 18 got access to alcohol that they shouldn’t have.
“It doesn’t mean that we don’t have a law that says that you have to be 18 to enter into a premises
“It means that society is able to set what are the guardrails are”
Ms Mason said she was “not overly interested” in the pleadings of social media giants for Australia’s upcoming ban to be dropped.
“They have monetised our children, they have known of the harm and they have and they let it happen”.
Asked what her late daughter Tilly would think of her campaign, Ms Mason said she would “roll her eyes as a good teenager should and go ‘oh mum’”.
“But she would also know someone was standing up for her and telling her story so other children didn’t endure what she had to”.
Originally published as ‘We’re watching’: World leader’s Aussie praise
