Digital Child Chief Investigator joins group evaluating Australia’s social media minimum age policy

Digital Child Chief Investigator Professor Julian Sefton-Green has been named as one of the experts who will help evaluate the consequences of Australia’s social media minimum age policy. 

The evaluation will be led by Stanford’s Social Media Lab. 

Eleven global and Australian experts will assist in monitoring the implementation and impact of the minimum age policy. They will look at the “short- and medium-term impacts on children, young people, and their parents or caregivers.”

Findings from the evaluation will inform eSafety’s role in enforcing the policy and the Department of Communication’s legislated two-year review.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said, “This collaborative model underscores our commitment to a robust, transparent, and high-quality evaluation, including identifying any unintended consequences of the obligation and making recommendations around what adjustments may be required to address those.”

Members of the Lead Academic Partner – Stanford University Social Media Lab  

• Professor Jeff Hancock, Stanford University Social Media Lab  
• Dr Sunny Xun Liu, Stanford University Social Media Lab  
• Dr Anja Stevic, Stanford University Social Media Lab  
• Dr Angela Yuson Lee, Stanford University Social Media Lab  
• Dr Y. Anthony Chen, Stanford University Social Media Lab  
• Zacariah Smith-Russack, Stanford University Social Media Lab  

Members of the Academic Advisory Group    

• Distinguished Professor Bronwyn Carlson, Head of Critical Indigenous Studies, Macquarie University
• Professor Peter Etchells, School of Psychology, Bath Spa University    
• Professor Katherine Keyes, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University    
• Distinguished Professor Mitch Prinstein, Co-Director of the Winston Center for Technology and the Developing Mind, University of North Carolina, and Chief Science Officer, American Psychological Association.    
• Professor Jo Robinson, Professorial Fellow and Director, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne  
• Professor Susan Sawyer, Chair of Adolescent Health, University of Melbourne, and Director, Centre for Adolescent Health, Royal Children’s Hospital    
• Professor Julian Sefton-Green, School of Education, Deakin University    
• Associate Professor Aliza Werner-Seidler, Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales    
• Professor Amanda Third, Professorial Research Fellow and Co-Director, Young and Resilient Research Centre, Western Sydney University  
• Associate Professor, Munmun De Choudhury, Director of Social Dynamics and Well-Being Laboratory, and Co-Lead of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Technology Center, Georgia Institute of Technology    
• Professor Amy Orben, Programme Leader Track Scientist at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge