CEO Update: Improving mental health – a blanket ban on social media is not the answer
The proposal to set a minimum age for access to social media and other digital platforms announced by the Australian Government last week has sparked intense debate about the effects of online content on young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
So far the discussion has focussed on the merits of an age-based regulatory approach to managing the effects of harmful social media content on people under 16.
While it is encouraging to see mental health as a central component of national debate, the proposed adoption of a blanket ban as the primary solution to improving the safety of social media platforms, and linking this to improving the mental health of children and young people, is worrying.
Experts from some of Australia’s leading mental health organisations agree that a proposed ban is not the solution. These organisations have recognised that there needs to be improvements to online safety, while also pointing to the importance of social media as an avenue for mental health support. They have been working together to develop substantial, evidence-based ways to create safe social media environments for young people for some time.
This includes recommendations from Mental Health Australia members ReachOut, Beyond Blue and the Black Dog Institute to the Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society in July, which included mandating safety-by-design features, such as limiting infinite scroll features on platforms.
Consultations by the National Mental Health Commission, which explored the impacts of digital technology on youth mental health, also emphasised the importance of a ‘Safety by Design’ approach to digital technologies, which encourages technology companies to prioritise user safety, embed protections from the beginning of product design and development, and support users in managing their own safety.
While there are benefits in adopting a regulatory-based approach to change – in setting clear expectations of commercial providers and creating change at a system rather than individual level – it needs to be appropriate to the problem, context and behaviour that it is trying to fix.
I think we can all agree that we expect social media companies to do more to maintain online safety. However solutions other than a blunt ban, such as mandating safety by design principles and ensuring these are enforceable, may better mitigate the risks of social media use, while maintaining the benefits.
We know that multiple factors impact on the mental health of children and young people, including the use of social media, and a considered and comprehensive approach is needed to turn the trajectory of mental ill-health around. We need to both build out a mental health promotion system, and strengthen the mental health care system. Across these strategies, we need a co-design approach that puts young people’s lived and living experience as ‘digital natives’ at the centre of policy-making to effect meaningful change.
The absence of young people’s voices from the discussion about social media safety is one of the most concerning components of the government’s current approach and blanket ban proposal.
We know that good policy development and implementation should be driven by people with lived experience – in this instance, young people – and combined with insights from policy experts, service providers, researchers, and on-the-ground experience of implementation.
In this instance, it appears that the evidence, feasibility of implementation and lived experience expertise are missing.
Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is too important to get wrong, and it certainly won’t be fixed by one single approach. When we actively listen to young people and collaborate with them to design solutions, we’ll both foster better mental health outcomes, and create a safer and more supportive online environment for all.
Carolyn Nikoloski
CEO, Mental Health Australia | 
