Regional teens could be at risk of isolation, discrimination and misinformation when a social media ban comes into force on December 10, according to anti-bullying advocates, mental health expects and young people living outside metropolitan areas.
The policy, which impacts children 16 years and under, was created in response to the well-documented negative pressures of social media and the detrimental impacts of cyberbullying.
In a joint statement last November from Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay and former National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollands, it stated for children in marginalised, remote, or vulnerable situations, social media offers a lifeline, connecting children with disability to peers, resources, and communities they may not otherwise access.
The statement also highlighted that children and young people have rights to access information and to freely express themselves as they develop and form their identities, adding a social media ban directly threatens these rights.
