Cassandra Fernando (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Youth. What have young people told us about the impacts of social media? What is the Albanese Labor government doing to limit the negative impacts and to keep children and young people safe online?

Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the wonderful member for Holt for her question. The member's question goes to the voices of young people with regard to how social media impacts them. Incorporating the views and experiences of young people is an important part of what the Albanese government does, and it's why we established the Office for Youth in 2022 and why we have a youth engagement program. Through that program we've heard from a range of young people about the effects of social media. It's important that I convey some of those responses here in this House.

One young person said of their social media experience: 'I know personally in my life I've come across things that I probably couldn't even fathom. I think that parents really aren't aware of the extent of the things that their kids come across.' Another added: 'I have friends who have been cyberbullied. Everyone knows someone who's had bad experiences with social media, whether it's cyberbullying or body image issues.' Yet another one said, 'There are negative impacts of social media, such as mental health, body image and lack of attention span, which impacts study, schooling, education.'

These quotes from young people demonstrate that children and young people are alive to the negative impacts of social media on their mental health and on their social and physical wellbeing. Everyone has a responsibility to keep children and young people safe. Children on social media are in terrifying proximity to some of the worst and most damaging things online. It's linked to poor mental health, low self-esteem, disordered eating, cyberbullying, anxiety and depression—just to name a few. Parents are concerned, teachers are concerned and youth workers, social workers, doctors, psychologists and young people themselves are concerned.

That's why the government are taking steps to protect children and young people online, both through our education, which scaffolds digital literacy for children, and through appropriate regulation: our age verification trial and our plans to introduce legislation to set a minimum age for accessing social media and gaming platforms. Social media companies also have to own their responsibility for the safety of their young users, and we have a responsibility to make sure that they do it.

I want to end by sharing the words of Lucia Frazzetto who wrote an article in the Sydney Morning Herald about her own experiences with social media. She says:

Social media's influence extends beyond the screen, subtly but significantly changing how we live and perceive ourselves. A ban wouldn't be about taking something away but about giving the next generation a chance at a more authentic, balanced life.