Emma Mason has taken her plea to ban social media for those under the age of 16 to the world stage, receiving backing from Europe as she spoke on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
The Aussie mum made the journey from regional NSW to New York to make a heartfelt plea about social media use by children.
Mason’s daughter, Tilly, took her own life at the age of 15 as a result of cyberbullying.
Since then, Mason has advocated for stricter laws surrounding social media usage and spoke at the United Nations about her loss and the impact it had on her family.
Her campaign has been a significant factor in Australia’s decision to outlaw social media usage for people under the age of 16.
“We watch as other parents’ children get licences, they graduate, all the things that our babies won’t achieve, and it’s brutal,” she said in her speech.
“So now I ask you to hold my Tilly and all the lost children in your hearts and do what you can to change the narrative across our world for Tilly’s sake, because how many more Tillys must die?”
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, attended the speech and gave her personal support for Australia’s new social media legislation.
“Many member states believe the time has come for a digital majority age for access to social media, and I must tell you as a mother of seven and a grandmother of five, I share their view,” she said.
Australia’s under-16 social media ban is set ot take effect later this year despite pushback from tech giants.
“Put simply in one sentence, we want children to have a childhood, not too much to ask,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
