The United Nations speech provides for a ban on social media under 16 after adolescent suicide

A mother of Sydney, whose 15 -year -old daughter, Matilda “Tilly” Rosewarne, took her life after severe cyberbrication of social media, called on a global reform on Wednesday at a United Nations General Assembly in New York – prohibiting children under the age of 16 and financially kept technological societies.

In a heartbreaking speech, Emma Mason detailed the last moments of her daughter, while she was trying to take her life for the twelfth and the last time on February 16, 2022.

“My courageous little girl, determined to be pretty, put her makeup one last time,” said Mason. “She had planned this moment in detail. … Exhausted and broken, she could no longer fight. She went up on the tree house in the backyard, she slipped the knot flowing around her neck and entered any experience that awaits us all.”

Tilly was found by her 13-year-old father and sister, who ran in the backyard alone to find her lifeless big sister.

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Emma Mason speaks during an event on Wednesday on the touch of the United Nations General Assembly in New York after her 15 -year -old daughter, who was the victim of intimidation on social networks, committed suicide. (EUDEBATES.TV)

While Tilly faced the relentless intimidation that started in primary school, Mason said it was the spread of social media.

In November 2020, a false naked photo of Tilly – created by a male classmate – circulated on Snapchat, reaching more than 3,000 children in just a few hours.

“The reality of this evil has been instantaneous,” said Mason. “Tilly was hysterical and in a spiral. I called the school but because this boy, and his mother, denied that he had even had his phone that day, they said that they could do nothing. That night, Tilly tried to commit suicide by cutting her arms and there was a lot of blood. … She never really recovered.”

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The authorities would have told the family that it was difficult to “prevent this from happening”, explaining that they were forced to wait until months for information from Snapchat.

While Tilly was getting lost in depression, Mason said that intimidation had continued, Tilly receiving many messages exhorting him to commit suicide.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also praised the country’s social media law to the United Nations this week. (Lukas Coch / Pool via Reuters / Photo file)

The bereaved mother said Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok had played a direct role in the death of her daughter, noting that applications do not protect young users and contribute to a drop in mental health, concentration, social skills, negative effects on body image, sleep and social isolation.

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“In the same way that car manufacturers are responsible for protecting those who drive their vehicles, social media giants must assume responsibility for protecting our children, because around the world, children suffer,” she said. “They therefore die directly from their commitment to social networks, and as parents, we need help.”

Snap Inc.’s public policy chief Henry Turnbull, in the Asia-Pacific region, told a parliamentary survey in 2024 that the company worked to ensure that users feel safe on Snapchat, Newswire reported at the time.

“This work is never done,” said Turnbull. “Intimidation is unfortunately something that takes place in the real and online world. We work hard to remedy it, and I recognize how damaging and devastating it can be for affected people. From our point of view, it is a question of focusing on the actions that we take to deal with these risks.”

During the investigation in 2024, Lucinda Longcroft, at the time, Director of Google Government and Public Affairs for Australia and New Zealand, said user security remains the largest priority of the company.

“We are certainly open to exploring any avenue to ensure the safety of Australian users,” said Longcroftsaid. “We never think we are doing enough to exercise our responsibilities. We work constantly, because children’s safety – as the most vulnerable among our users – and the safety of all our users is the most worrying and our responsibility. We invest time, resources and expertise to guarantee that our systems, services and products are safe in the field of mental health and suicide.”

Although Australia has recently adopted a minimum age historic law, forcing social media platforms to take reasonable measures to prevent Australians under the age of 16 from accounting or paying millions of fines, Mason has asked the world to adopt a global ban to keep technology companies financially.

“For parents of lost children, our lives are measured in days, weeks and months from our loss,” she said. “By birthdays, birthdays, Christmas and other events that are used to remind us that life has evolved for everyone, except us. … Since Tilly died, I unfortunately had the privilege of meeting so many parents like me … How many additional Tilles must die?”

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The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, followed Mason’s speech, accusing applications of attracting and adding children to manipulative algorithms which are intended to make the profits to technological companies.

“This company is not for charity, but parents live with risks and damage every day,” said Von Der Leyen. “Cyberbullying, the encouragement of self -use predators, online, of addictive algorithms. It is up to us to proceed to the next generation.”

The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese were seen together at a summit of NATO leaders in Lithuania, on July 12, 2023. (Reuters / Ints Kalnins)

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In Europe, she said that an age verification prototype was tested in France, Spain, Greece, Denmark and Italy.

“It is obvious that it is common sense,” said Von Der Leyen. “We all agree that young people should reach a certain age before smoking, drinking or having access to the content of adults. The same goes for social media. … We have no reason to fear the future. The technological revolution has already brought enormous advantages to our lives and we will bring more.