Kylea Tink (North Sydney, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

In a world where access to information is right at our fingertips, the debate about the role that social media plays in increasing the rate of youth mental health distress is one that elicits strong opinions. As the mother of three young adults, I've had firsthand experience of parenting digital natives. I am often blown away by how tech savvy they are, and I empathise with the many parents who fear they can't now control the type, accuracy or rate of information their children consume. This parental fear is understandable, yet, as the adults in the room begin a conversation that will ultimately determine how younger people across our society access social media, I've been asked by the youth of North Sydney to speak for them and make it clear they believe our government must base policy decisions on evidence, not simple political expediency. Young people in my electorate are very attuned to the challenges faced by their generation, and they want us to look closely at the risk factors and major generational and societal changes driving these challenges, rather than simply scapegoating social media as the primary factor in increasing mental health distress, as opposed to it being one influence, for, while some social media contact can be harmful, this channel often provides meaningful connections and reliable information.

To this end, I've focused on finding ways to facilitate a conversation which leads to effective, meaningful and positive change. Recently I heard speakers from the youth mental health organisations present research findings on social media's impact on youth mental health. The speakers emphasised the importance of recognising that this is a complex debate and that, if social media is banned for young people, alternative accessible mental health supports will need to be provided. They also challenged the idea that any technical ban would be enforceable or effective, and they encouraged all in attendance to focus on exploring the potential for content controls rather than channel bans.

These findings reflected the anecdotal evidence I'd heard from my North Sydney Youth Forum, which brings 15- to 17-year-olds from across North Sydney together to discuss important topics. Working with the youth forum, I launched a community survey to understand how people are feeling more broadly about the debate. We received hundreds of responses from people of all ages, and it has opened a broader conversation which will now form the basis of a community forum. This intergenerational forum will bring young people together with their parents and carers and experts in the space to explore the topic further. Effective policy can only be developed once we understand how technology is used by young people and which patterns of usage are associated with benefits or harms, and that will rely on our capacity to listen to those whom this policy reform will affect.

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