QLD Chief Health Officer recommends new social media measures to help improve mental wellbeing amongst young people
Queensland's Chief Health Officer is calling on parents to delay their children's use of social media until they're at least 14 years old. Blaming it for what he's calling a self-harm epidemic among young people. WARNING: If this story has raised concerns for you, you can call the below for help: Lifeline on 13 11 14 Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800 Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 Headspace on 1800 650 890
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00:00The Chief Health Officer in Queensland, Dr John Gerrard, is very concerned about rising
00:06mental health problems among young people.
00:09Now, he says that's a national issue, it's a global issue.
00:13In Queensland alone, he says the numbers are clear.
00:15The number of teenage girls aged between 10 and 14 who have been hospitalised for self-harm
00:21has tripled since 2008, so the Chief Health Officer is very concerned about the rising
00:27mental health problems that young people are facing.
00:30And he says there's growing evidence to suggest that it's linked to the rise of social media
00:35and the fact that young people are increasingly using smartphones and social media platforms.
00:40So earlier this year, the Chief Health Officer convened a meeting of mental health experts
00:45to really discuss the challenges that families and the community are facing, because he says
00:50even though those hospitalisations are really significantly concerning, they represent a
00:55small fraction of what the suffering is in the community.
00:59That includes both girls and boys.
01:00And so one of the outcomes of that convening of experts earlier this year was that a public
01:07health alert has gone out today, which is urging parents to delay letting their children
01:13start using social media until they're at least 14 years old.
01:17Now, that is recommended because it's hoped that it will reduce the risk of what children
01:22might face when they're online and using social media accounts, like inappropriate
01:26content, cyber-bullying, and just generally body image issues and mental health issues.
01:32Now, some of the other recommendations that this public health alert that's gone out today
01:36include for families to really have open conversations around the use of social media, and that parents
01:42need to be monitoring what kind of accounts their children are using, who they're interacting
01:47with, and even going and taking the step of really saying, look, there's a curfew.
01:52You can't have social media after certain hours at night, or you can't have your devices
01:57at home.
01:58Now, it's hoped that these measures the Chief Health Officer is recommending will help improve
02:03mental well-being across young people.