The mental health and wellbeing of young people is an emerging public health concern.
Since the popularity of social media has grown, statistics have shown some worrying outcomes for young people.
In Australia, the rate of young females aged 14 and under hospitalised for self-harm injury more than tripled between 2008-09 and 2020-21. This rate almost doubled in the same period for males up to the age of 14.
That’s why the Miles Government is warning parents about the potential negative impacts of social media on children’s wellbeing.
Queensland Premier Steven Miles said he has made it clear that social media companies should be held accountable for the damaging content they distribute, promote and refuse to take down.
“There is an undeniable link between social media use and mental health impacts on our young people,” Mr Miles said.
“My government will be working with other states, including South Australia, to better regulate age bans and content limits on social media platforms, particularly to those under 14.
“Queensland parents can trust that my government will always do what we can to support young people, and we will continue to advocate for better regulation at a national level.”
This follows discussions by an expert group convened by Queensland’s Chief Health Officer to consider growing international concerns about the potential impact of social media on the mental wellbeing of young Queenslanders.
Recommendations from the expert group included:
– encouraging parents to limit access to social media for children under the age of 14,
– closely monitoring and supporting children as social media is introduced,
– and restricting time until healthy habits are established.
Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard said globally, they are seeing a concerning deterioration in the mental health and wellbeing of young people.
“The increase in self-harm events observed among young Australians since about 2008 looks just like a new virus epidemic. This period coincides with the introduction of smartphones and social media apps,” Dr Gerrard said.
“We believe there is growing evidence that the health and wellbeing of young Queenslanders is being harmed by unrestricted access to social media, and it requires a public health response.”
Building on the success of the Dear Mind campaign, Queensland Health will launch a new campaign next year focussing on promoting youth mental wellbeing.
This campaign follows the decision by the government to ban the use of mobile phones during school hours and its ‘Away for the Day’ campaign which promotes a healthier relationship with technology and supports schools, parents, carers, and students to use mobile phones responsibly.
Dr Gerrard said there are benefits to social media including social connection for those who may be isolated but balance is what’s important.
“Children under 14 years may not be equipped with the emotional maturity to deal with its complexity,” he said.
“Parents of older teenagers should also remain active in understanding and guiding the amount of time their children spend on screens, including for social media activities.”
The Minister for Health, Shannon Fentiman said the advice from the Chief Health Office is crucial for supporting the health and wellbeing of young Queenslanders.
“I know parents want practical and helpful advice about this issue, which is why we’re releasing a suite of online resources on the Queensland Health website,” Ms Fentiman said.
“These educational resources are full of tips on how to minimise social media harms on young children and are a great tool for parents and families.
“We will continue looking at ways we can support young peoples’ health and wellbeing and keep them out of harms’ way.”
The Miles Government remains committed to prioritising the health and wellbeing of young people, investing $330 million towards youth mental health and other drug services – the largest in Queensland’s history.
The Federal Government’s eSafety Commissioner provides valuable resources to families, young people, educators, and health practitioners at esafety.gov.au/
