Shocking new research revealing how quickly young Australians can be exposed to extremely misogynistic content online has sparked a new national campaign urging parents to pay more attention to what children consume on social media.
The Albanian government launched a new phase of the Stop It at the Start campaign on Monday, which aims to inform parents and caregivers about the spate of harmful content targeting young men and teenagers, and its link to domestic violence in the future.
This follows a $40 million sexual consent campaign launched in May that aims to address the staggering rates of sexual violence seen across Australia.
A new campaign, called The Hidden Tendencies of Disrespect, includes an interactive online tool that simulates the average young person’s social media feed to show adults how quickly young people can become exposed to chauvinistic ideas.
Shocking new research has revealed how quickly young people can become exposed to extreme misogynistic content online (file image)
A new interactive tool simulates the social networks of an average young person to show the extent to which they are exposed to online harm.
The government has developed conversation guides to show parents how to have productive conversations with young people about the type of content they might be exposed to online.
A new national ad will also air on television, social media channels and in cinemas asking parents if they are aware of online influences affecting their children.
Research published in February found that toxic, hateful and misogynistic content has been “sent” to young people through social media algorithms at an increasing rate.
Compared to other popular websites, it identified that Tik Tok showed viewers four times as many videos related to the objectification, sexual harassment or discrimination of women.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said parents are often unaware of how dangerous online content can be linked to violence against women.
“New research shows there is a growing echo chamber of online disrespect with influencers targeting young children with misogynistic content,” Ms Rishworth said.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said influencers are targeting young children with misogynistic content.
A new national ad will air on television, social media channels and in cinemas asking parents if they are aware of online influences affecting their children.
“Parents and other adults who have young people in their lives can’t always know everything children see online, but we can take steps to educate ourselves about what they see and hear and help young people recognize and deal with harmful content. online. .’
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said there was no single solution to curbing gender-based violence, but said identifying problematic attitudes would be key to reducing harm.
“Research and the experience of frontline workers and community leaders show that action is needed at all levels of society to prevent men’s violence against women and drive meaningful change,” she said.
Stop it at the Start campaign will be shown until May 2025
Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, Justine Elliot, said it was vital to counter the influence of “corrosive” content online.
“The Stop it at the Start campaign has had a positive impact since its launch in 2016, and this new phase, addressing the harmful misogyny that occurs both online and offline, is a critical and timely evolution.”
The launch of the campaign follows an early national cabinet meeting called by the federal government in May that reignited a heated debate over women’s safety.
This led to a proposed crackdown on youth use of social media, with both major parties signaling their support for an age verification scheme to block people under 16 from owning a social media account. social networks.
