NSW Government to hold social media summit in a bid to protect kids

In a bid to protect children from being harmed by social media NSW Premier Chris Minns has called a state summit as part of government efforts to address the issue.

The October summit would be a major plank in the official response to growing worries about the mental health impacts of social media on children, the government said on Monday.

The summit will bring together experts in the field including policymakers, academics and leading social media platforms and digital technologies, it said.

There is increasing concern about harmful and violent content on social media in Australia, with the federal government set to pilot age verification technology and South Australia proposing to ban children from some online platforms.

In NSW, the government has banned mobile phones in all NSW public schools from October, recruited 250 extra school counsellors and set up a $2.5 million research fund to investigate the impacts of excessive screen time.

Mr Minns said he called the snap summit with the understanding the “biggest issue facing parents is kids’ access and exposure to devices and social media”.

“I’m convinced we need more conversations and solutions for parents, schools and communities about how to manage this,” he said.

“This summit will bring together experts and parents alike to talk about what more we can do to protect the wellbeing of our children.”

The government says a large body of evidence shows social media has downside risks for young people, including a higher risk of mental health issues.

A significant proportion of young social media users are also at risk of image-based sexual abuse, privacy and security issues, it says.