Nathan Wallis: Parenting expert on a social media ban for youth, the connection between social media and mental health issues

There’s a belief a social media ban could benefit young people. 

Australia's holding an age-verification trial in coming months, but it's unknown what the cut off age will be, or how it will be enforced.  

Christopher Luxon has also expressed interest in the idea. 

Parenting expert Nathan Wallis told Ryan Bridge there's a correlation between social media and youth mental health issues. 

He says if things like social media are banned, it may be revealed as the major cause of the country's mental health crisis in teens. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Aussies. The government there it has decided to ban
the use of social media apps like TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram,
Facebook for children. The age limit don't know yet still
to be decided. The legislation will be introduced by the
end of the year. They say, our Prime minister City
is open to looking at this. How do you police it?
Nathan Wallace is a parenting expert and he's with us

(00:20):
this morning. Nathan, good morning, Good morning, right, how are
you mate, I'm very well, thank you. Good idea bad
idea for a ban.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
I think it's a good idea. I mean, I know
it seems like the horses bolted already, but there's long
correlation between our mental health crisis and how social media
is contributing to that. And you know, people can't access counseling.
People on the phone, you start actually trying to get
access counseling and trying to get an ADHD diagnosis. Though
I told it was either two and a half grand

(00:48):
to see someone or a year and a half way.
So if we take the health crisis from the other end,
if we ban things by social media, that could be
one of the major causes of our our mental health
crisis with teenagers.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
I support it, okay, these days I'm like, who doesn't
have ADHD?

Speaker 2 (01:04):
Is is it possible?

Speaker 1 (01:06):
Are then phones cause ADHD?

Speaker 2 (01:10):
No? Not really ADHD. It's hard to diagnose ADHD because
it's very similar to trauma, you know, I'm basically the
brain just responds to stress in a similar way. So
whether that is trauma, whether it's ADHD, whether you're grieving
because your grandmother's dying, the brain responds in a similar way.
So it's hard to say exactly what is ADHD.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
Vaping, but yeah, vaping and drinking. Obviously kids can't do it,
but they still do. Do you see this as another
one that would fall into that category? Are you shouldn't
it's illegal? But actually they do anyway.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
Absolutely. I think lots of people are going to do
social media anyway because they've had a whole generation of
kids who have got used to doing social media. But
when you make it illegal, you do seend a clear
message that this is dangerous because a lot of people
now let their kids drink under at you know, let
their kids vape, So you're going to get people that
do it anyway. But I still think it's a good
message to make it illegal and say love it just

(02:04):
be gives a warning flag to people. This is a problem,
This is a cause of concern.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
How old should a kid be before they get a phone?

Speaker 2 (02:12):
Oh it's hard to say, isn't it. I'm in an
ideal world. Sixteen Yeah, and you've got two years, well us, sixteen,
two years of your parents helping you to manage it
before you're eighteen and they have to manage it by yourself.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
Couldn't agree with you more. Nathan, thank you very much
for being with us this morning so early as well.
Nathan Wallace, parenting expert.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
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