Wednesday, 28 August 2024

 Brad BATTIN (Berwick) (09:48): Home: a sanctuary where you should feel safe, where you can be yourself without fear. Yet for too many teenagers that safety is shattered with just a click. What seems trivial to one can be life-threatening to another. Social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat are meant to connect us but instead are tearing us apart. Children are bombarded with unattainable standards and teenagers are trapped in a relentless cycle of comparison and bullying. Addictive algorithms prey on young, vulnerable minds, pushing harmful content and deepening insecurities. Forty-two per cent of young people now face mental health issues because of social media. Anxiety, depression and even thoughts of suicide have become the norm. These platforms are designed to be addictive and result in youth feeling isolated and inadequate in comparison to their peers.

The government must raise the social media age limit to 16, ban algorithms that target young minds and urgently educate both parents and children on safe and preventable digital practices. If this generation is not educated on the effects of their social footprint, then we will be stuck in a cycle of self-perpetrated hate. If we fail to act, we will be complicit in the suffering and loss of countless young lives in the coming years.

The students here today from Alkira Secondary College see firsthand the tight grip of social media on students’ mental health and wellbeing. In saying that, we hope you recognise the urgency of this matter and provide the necessary resources required for mental health education. We cannot afford to ignore this plea. The future of our children depends on it. Thank you very much to Alkira Secondary College for an amazing members statement.