Social Media Facts
Australia passed a law banning social media for under-16s in this month and year.
November 2024
This type of online bullying can follow victims home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Cyberbullying
This group of young people especially relies on social media to find communities, support and a sense of belonging.
LGBTQ+ youth
A set of computer instructions that decides what content to show you based on what you've watched or liked.
Algorithm
'Could,' 'might,' and 'may' are examples of this type of verb that shows a LOW level of certainty.
Modal verbs
Teenagers who spend more than this many hours per day on social media face double the risk of mental health problems.
3 hours
This addictive design feature keeps users scrolling through content without ever reaching an end.
Infinite scrolling
Teenagers are using this technology — which hides your location online — to get around the social media ban.
VPN (Virtual Private Network)
The skills needed to safely use technology — including understanding privacy, recognising misinformation, and managing screen time.
Digital literacy
'Furthermore,' 'moreover,' and 'in addition' are connectives that show this relationship between ideas.
Addition
This percentage of young Australians reported a negative online experience in the past six months.
44%
Social media platforms use 'streaks', push notifications and autoplay videos to make the apps feel this way.
Addictive
Instead of banning social media, some experts say schools should teach this — the skills to use the internet safely and responsibly.
Digital literacy
Methods used to check someone's age online, such as ID checks or facial recognition.
Age verification
A sentence that joins an independent clause with a dependent clause using words like 'because,' 'although,' or 'if' is called this type of sentence.
Complex sentence
In a UK poll of young people aged 16–29, this fraction said a social media ban was a good idea.
Two-thirds (about 66%)
The part of the brain that controls decision-making is still developing in teenagers, making this group especially vulnerable to addictive design.
Teenagers (adolescents)
This many Australian and international experts signed an open letter calling the ban "too simplistic."
140 experts
This stands for "Virtual Private Network" — software that hides your location and identity online.
VPN
'Argues,' 'claims,' and 'states' are all examples of this type of verb — used to report what someone said.
Saying verbs
This percentage of young Australians who needed mental health support accessed it through social media.
73%
In Evidence D, this girl's personal story was shared to show the real harm social media can cause young people.
Charlotte
This organisation criticised the government for not consulting young people when creating the social media ban.
UNICEF Australia
Using technology such as phones or social media to deliberately hurt, threaten, or embarrass someone repeatedly.
Cyberbullying
'However,' 'although,' and 'on the other hand' are connectives that show this type of relationship between two ideas.
Contrast