Submission to the Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society
Executive Summary
Social media platforms have become a major part of young Australians’ lives. While these
platforms have many benefits, they also expose youth to content that promotes substance use,
including alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarettes, and illicit drugs. This is concerning because:
1. There are often no effective age restrictions on this content.
2. Substance-related posts are widely available and mostly show drug use in a positive
light.
3. Young people are seeing alcohol related advertisements on social media every few
minutes.
4. Exposure to this content can normalise substance use by young people and undermine
the perceived harms of substance use.
The Australian government and social media companies need to work together to protect
young people from this harmful content. This could include better age verification, stricter
content policies, and using technology to detect and remove posts promoting illegal
substances.
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Source: National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research