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Exclusive: Wippa and Galluzzo Launch 36 Months to Raise Social Media Age

May 2024 🇦🇺 Mediaweek

Suicide and self-harm are complex and never caused by one factor alone. Problematic screen use, cyberbullying, harmful content, and online exploitation may increase risk or intensify existing distress. If someone is in immediate danger or emotional crisis in the United States, call or text 988.

Outside the U.S.? Find your local helpline at findahelpline.com.

This Mediaweek exclusive covers the May 2024 public launch of 36 Months, the pro bono campaign co-founded by Nova radio host Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli and FINCH founder Rob Galluzzo, backed by News Corp Australia and Nova Entertainment. The article reports the campaign's ask — raising the legal age for social media accounts from 13 to 16 — and names early supporters including parenting author Maggie Dent and former NSW premier Dominic Perrottet. It cites third-party data on how widely Australian teens and pre-teens use social media, and references a claim, sourced to Raising Children Network, associating heavy social media use with cyberbullying, anxiety, depression, and self-harm among Australian teenagers. It also notes that Galluzzo sits on the board of youth-suicide-prevention nonprofit The Liv Project. TechKids Foundation cites this piece as the primary record of the campaign's launch and stated goals.

92% of AU teens aged 15–16 use social media

Article cites social media use rates by age band in Australia: 92% of 15–16-year-olds, 59% of 11–12-year-olds, and 29% of 9–10-year-olds.

3.1 social media services per 12–13-year-old

Citing the eSafety Commissioner's Digital Lives of Aussie Kids research, the article reports 12–13-year-olds use an average of 3.1 social media services.

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CITATION

Shapiro, Amy. "Exclusive: Wippa and Galluzzo Launch 36 Months to Raise Social Media Age." Mediaweek, May 20, 2024. https://www.mediaweek.com.au/exclusive-wippa-and-galluzzo-launch-36-months-to-raise-social-media-age/

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