Dolly Everett’s mum says kids should be forced to get a LICENCE to use social media

The mother of a girl who committed suicide after experiencing years of online bullying has told a government inquiry young people should be forced to get a licence to use social media platforms.

Kate Everett, the mother of Dolly Everett who took her own life aged 14 in 2018 after she had endured extended cyber-bullying, made the recommendation while appearing before an inquiry currently being conducted by the House Select Committee on Social Media and Online Safety.

‘We are not allowed to drive a car, we are not allowed to do so many other things in life without, you know, the appropriate education and licensing,’ Mrs Everett told the inquiry.

‘It only seems logical that we should have something in the online world.’

Mrs Everett and her husband Tick set up Dolly’s Dream after their daughter’s passing to raise awareness and improve community education on bullying and its effects on children and families.

She said she received messages every day from parents concerned about the same issued faced by Dolly.

‘I’m stopped in the street by parents struggling with how to protect the children from the dark holes of social media,’ Mrs Everett said.

‘Our children are using online services at an increasing rate and at present we are primarily reliant on service providers to manage the security and privacy of our data responsibility,’ the Everetts wrote in a submission to the inquiry.

‘And when bullying and other social problems spill over into online spaces and escalate there, it’s the school communities of students, parents and teachers who struggle to deal with the fallout.’

Among a number of points it asked the committee to consider, the Everetts’ submission said families needed to be able to trust online space offered a standard of child safety that reflected community standards and ‘lined up’ with the safety standards of ‘real-world environments where children live, learn and play’.

A member of Dolly’s Dream, Stephen Budge, told the inquiry no licensing scheme would work unless the social media platforms were made safer places in the first instance.

The inquiry has already heard from platforms including Twitter, Google, Meta and TikTok.

The committee has also considered submissions including the proposal that those who repeatedly engage in bullying in online spaces be permanently banned from the platforms.

‘Big Tech needs to ensure their platforms are places where Australians can engage confidently, without fear of abuse, humiliation or exposure to harmful content,’ the parliamentary committee’s chairperson, Lucy Wicks MP, said.

The House Select Committee was established in December 2021 and is due to present its final report on or before February 15, 2022.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Kids Helpline 1800 551 800

beyondblue – 1300 224 636