Social ban cuts LGBTIQA+ kids off from support networks
In recent months, Australia has seen an unsettling rise in online trolling and hate speech targeting queer communities.
It's a pattern that feels both painfully familiar and newly emboldened.
As public rhetoric hardens and harmful narratives gain traction, young LGBTIQA+ people, who are already navigating complex identities and often in hostile environments, are once again forced to shoulder the weight of this in the very places they once found safety.
Now, with the impending social media ban for under-16s, these young people are being hit with a double blow: increasing hostility online, and the imminent loss of the few digital spaces where they can meaningfully connect, be affirmed, and feel less alone.
For many young queer people, especially those in regional and remote areas, social media is a lifeline. In towns where there is no LGBTIQA+ youth group, no queer-friendly counsellor, no rainbow-safe school environment, platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Discord become vital "third spaces", neutral zones outside home and school where identity
exploration, peer connection, and honest self-expression can safely unfold.
These digital communities offer what many physical environments still cannot: acceptance, representation, and a sense of belonging.
The stakes are high.
A national survey of LGBTIQA+ youth aged 13 to 25 conducted by Minus18 found that around 90 per cent had experienced bullying, harassment, or violence because of their identity.
Among LGBTIQA+ young people more broadly, 26 per cent reported having attempted suicide at some point in their lives, and 10 per cent had attempted suicide in the past year, with rates even higher among trans and gender-diverse youth.
These figures are stark, and they almost certainly underestimate the scale of the problem, as many young people never disclose harassment or self-harm due to fear, vulnerability, or stigma.
For these young people, social media is often the only space where they can find mentors, access affirming mental health information, follow creators who reflect their experiences, learn language that helps them articulate who they are and build supportive peer networks, factors shown to protect against isolation, depression, and self-harm.
A blanket ban on social media threatens to sever young people from these essential networks, removing not just screen time but critical avenues for survival, resilience, and thriving.
And in doing so, it exposes a troubling assumption: that young people lack the capacity to navigate digital spaces responsibly.
Instead of recognising them as capable, critical thinkers who can be equipped with the skills to identify risks and keep themselves safe online, the policy casts them as passive and powerless.
Yes, social media can be harmful, but the biggest harm comes from inadequate digital literacy education; inconsistent online safety frameworks; and, critically, the persistent prejudice that allows hate speech and harassment to flourish.
Removing young people from these platforms does nothing to combat the root causes of harm. It simply pushes young people away from the places where they could learn to confront and mitigate these challenges with guidance and support.
The rise in online hate should prompt deep concern, followed by action to protect the wellbeing of our queer young people.
But that action must focus on strengthening protections for young people, not restricting them. We need stronger moderation of hate speech; investment in community-led online spaces; education that teaches young people how to navigate digital environments safely; and policies that acknowledge young people's agency rather than denying it.
Silencing young people is not safety. Removing their communities is not protection. And banning their platforms is not a solution.
If we are serious about supporting young LGBTIQA+ Australians, especially in a moment of rising hostility, we must equip them with the tools, support and respect they deserve.
That starts with listening to them, not legislating over the top of them and investing in the spaces where they have already found strength, solidarity and hope.
By Jacqueline McGowan-Jones WA Commissioner for Children and Young People, and Chloe Clements manager of the Youth Pride Network.
