Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Emergency Management) Share this | Hansard source

Senator, I am not surprised that you are hearing concerns from parents, because more than half of Australian parents and carers say that social media is their No. 1 issue of concern.

I know that there are some members of the opposition who go out of their way to avoid listening to experts—not all, but some—and I would encourage them just to make an exception and listen to the research on this. A recent Australian study found that Australian girls who use social media for more than two hours a day were particularly at risk of depression and reduced wellbeing. It replicates what we are seeing overseas. A pre-COVID study in England found that using social media more than three times a day was a strong predictor for poor mental health and wellbeing in 13- to 16-year-olds. A longitudinal study of more than 6,000 young Americans found that using social media for more than three hours a day doubled the risk—doubled the risk, for those not listening—of 12- to 15-year-olds experiencing negative mental health outcomes, like symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Parents know that social media can be a tool for connection, and nobody wants to disrupt that, but it does also pose risks. It poses risks and threats particularly for young people. Unlike the Greens and unlike quite a few, it seems, on the opposition benches, this government thinks that it's time to face up to that challenge.