‘Blunt-force approach’: LGBTQ+ advocates say proposed teen social media ban overlooks benefits

When Amelia was growing up as a queer teenager on the outskirts of Melbourne, social media helped them find community.

“I was very much on the outer suburbs of the greater Melbourne area, which isn’t very well-known for having community spaces and community events and social supports for LGBTQ+ young people,” says Amelia, who is now 23.

So they turned to Instagram and TikTok. “I really took to social media to learn about the different identities and to also seek that community support … and to see what other content creators from around the world are sharing and doing and experiencing and talking about,” they said. “That’s where I was able to see that representation for the queer community.”

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But for queer Australians growing up today, finding connection online could soon prove more challenging.

Both the Albanese government and the Coalition agree young people should be restricted from accessing social media. Peter Dutton has said young people should not be able to access social media until they’re 16, while Anthony Albanese is yet to specify an age limit. A federal inquiry and trial of age assurance technology will assess what is possible and how any restrictions could be applied.

Parents of children who have taken their own lives after being bullied online have told harrowing stories to the inquiry, and have backed raising the age limits.

But there have been some reservations. Guardian Australia reported last month the eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, warned in a submission to the federal parliament’s social media inquiry that banning young people from social media meant they would miss out on some of the benefits – inclusion, social connection and belonging.

Research released by the online safety regulator in June of a survey conducted with 305 LGBTQ+ youth between 14 and 17 years old found more than half say they feel as if they can be more themselves online than in person (51%) compared to the national average of 40%. LGBTQ+ teenagers were also more likely than the national average to discuss private things online that they don’t talk about face-to-face (45% compared with 27%).

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Prof Patrick McGorry, executive director of youth mental health organisation Orygen, says there is a youth mental health crisis, and social media is playing a part, but argues an “authoritarian” ban for some young people will not solve it.

“No one seems to have consulted the young people themselves about the issue and what to do about it … basically adults, older adults and politicians [are] pontificating about the issue without really having much understanding of it,” he says.

Amelia now sits on Orygen’s youth advisory board, and works as a creative director and marketing manager. They recently left X following Elon Musk’s takeover of the platform in 2022, and disbandment of its trust and safety council and shift in moderation policy. Rather than shutting young people out of social media, Amelia says a better option is to regulate platforms to be safer for younger people, including rules on how the algorithms work and proper content and hate speech policies.

“There is so much hate speech and bullying towards the queer community that flies under the radar … there will be hate speech and bullying that might be happening in another country or in regional Victoria, that isn’t picked up on in the community guidelines, because the keywords will be different, because the way that young people and other users on the platform communicate will be different.

“So improving those algorithms, improving community guidelines is, I think, the more important solution.”

The online safety regulator agrees.

“I feel like we have to figure out how we fix and mitigate the harms that exist now and before we move to what is a much more blunt-force approach,” Inman Grant says.

“I see my job as harnessing those benefits, particularly for marginalised or at-risk communities.

“These kids said they feel more themselves, more comfortable online than they do in the real world, and it’s a place for them find community, to connect, to explore the identity, find members of their tribe, even though they experience much higher levels of online hate.”

The social media inquiry is due to deliver its final report by 18 November. The federal government’s age assurance trial has been funded for one year.