HOW REFRESHING it was to see our Senate passing laws to limit access to social media for children aged under 16. There is now no doubt that social media is causing harm to young people, and we now have lawmakers willing to take a stand. Every politician who voted for this legislation deserves to be applauded.
Social media has caused untold damage to the mental health of young people everywhere. It is not a healthy space for the young, who should be playing sports, mixing with friends, engaging with family, learning music and reading books, and getting out in nature. We should not be in darkened rooms engaging with people who are not with us in person. As truly social creatures, our socialisation should always be with people who are with us physically, along with the occasional phone call.
Unfortunately, as parents, social media requires us to be more vigilant than ever before. As someone who was raised in the country, we only ever had two golden rules – be home before five OR be home before dark. These were simpler times, and parents could let us have the run of the town knowing we would be safe. I can’t remember the words “mental health” ever being used together in that way. Times have changed!
We have to keep our kids safe. The social media companies have shown that they will not take charge unless their hands are forced by governments, and even then, it will be hard. Our best chance is to take charge ourselves. Only as communities can we make a difference.
I have been heartened to see the immediate improvement made in the use of e-bikes in our community, thanks to the determined actions of Sergeant Joel Bryant of the Coolum Police. If we can make a difference there, we can make a difference here. Let’s stand together on social media and save the minds of our young people. It will be hard and maybe slow at first, but we can do this. Let’s make our world a safer place for our young people.