Zara Seidler
Zara Seidler, Stop it at the Start campaign ambassador and co-founder of youth news service, the Daily Aus, talks about how we all have to play our part in ending violence against women.
“It’s not one of us, it’s all of us.”
Since starting the Daily Aus, Zara has seen how social media can shape young people’s views on gender and respect.
“We have these echo chambers now on social media that mean that young people are having the same kind of views reaffirmed to them and they're not really engaging with diverse perspectives as they would have in real life. That becomes particularly dangerous when that content that they're seeing and that they're engaging with is harmful or disrespectful.”
She also highlights the role parents and carers play in supporting their young people, both online and in the real world.
“To create a more respectful society, we need to see in the online world more examples of healthy, respectful debate happen. Individuals can be positive role models for the young people in their lives by creating spaces for conversations with them and also by modelling what respectful conversation and what respectful relationships look like both online and in the real world.”
By talking to young people about respect, we can have a positive influence on their attitudes and behaviours as they grow into adults. It’s important to be clear about what is acceptable, and model this ourselves.
The Excuse Interpreter can help you avoid using seemingly harmless phrases that might send mixed messages to young people about respect.