Dear All,

Happy new, wonderful 2022. Yesterday I took time to contact our Premier and PM for support. Their support/action is unlikely, but I am undeterred by their apathy and decision not to 'turn their minds' to topics that they find 'too hard' or too controversial. This is common behaviour in the political scene. It's all about popular positioning not clever or innovative change by our leaders to make our nation the best for our people and especially children.

All that matters to me is that through this petition we are delivering (on a platter!) a solution to our country's decision makers for more than our own children and families we care about. I'm so appreciative of your support, Happy new year ne below is a copy of my letter to our premier and similar went to the PM. I will also send you the articles that accompanied my email.

With love and care,

Anita

From: anita@thecultureway.com <anita@thecultureway.com>
Sent: 31 December 2021 11:30
To: mark.mcgowan@mp.wa.gov.au
Subject: Appeal for Petition Support

Dear Mr McGowan,

I would like to celebrate your wonderful approach and work for West Australians, families and children.

In the new year, as a father and leader, I am interested to know whether you would take the courageous step of fighting to defend childhoods and save our Australian children’s minds. It needs the strongest leader to stand up and say ‘we’ve had enough’ and I’m prepared to do something clever/informed/ground-breaking about it. I really believe you are the person who could do this.

I would love for you to help me to support all Australian children under the age of 16 via my petition and to drive change in the area of social media damage inflicted onto our young children’s lives and minds:

https://www.change.org/NoSmartPhonesForUnder16s

I have launched the petition recently to appeal to our government to legislate smart phone ownership (inclusive of social media naturally) to save our young children’s minds – until the age of 16. The research is undeniable the grave effects and rewiring of our nation’s most precious assets – our children (not to mention cyber bullying, pornography normalisation and the list goes on). ** Please see my recent articles collected.

N.B. Please see attached letter from Celia Hammond as the Liberal Govt. do yet another enquiry/research into what we already know the results of. A hard stand is needed and introduction to all schools to educate, legislate and protect our youngest generation and most important asset of our nation – our children. You can do this!

The solution is quite simple and coupled with a non-smart phone introduction (pinwheel or similar) by our governments in schools (as an educational tool), children can be taught to safely use phones for connection, safety etc. That would be the ideal outcome, but one step at a time.

Currently the effects of social media are worse than the effects of alcohol and tobacco on our young children. We need swift action or our youth mental health will continue to worsen, as has been demonstrated over the past 10 years. More anxiety, more depression, more suicides.

My own local action has been to start a free initiative for young children called Stars Unplugged: www.starsunplugged.com.au

This is a free, community-based initiative which is proactive and preventative in nature -  before children own mobile phones and access social media. I have been facilitating this since end of 2020.

I thank you so much for reading my petition and sharing if you would please in your networks and valuable circles of thinking, informed and enlightened Australian parents, grandparents and citizens. It’s not too late for our next generation to save their minds and save their childhoods.

Kindest regards,

Anita McSweeney (a loving mum from Perth, WA)

Ph +61 437 843 624

(PS I am often just ignored over my conversations on this topic by apathetic parents and even my own very wealthy uncle told me it's the parents' job to manage this - not Government. His view is also that Government wish to keep the nation largely oppressed and this unmanaged element of our children’s lives is oppressing them, depressing them and ruining their childhoods).

 I disagree that it is the parents of the nation to control this untenable challenge -  when the tech giants have pervaded the minds and lives of our children. It requires strong, unwavering leadership and governmental control to arrest this dire situation our nation finds itself in. There is a Facebook group in the US called 'Parenting in a Tech world' which reveals the real-life nightmares of 200 000 parents going through what Australian parents are also experiencing. In Australia the only enlightened group on Facebook in this area is: Not my Kid.)

We all need to do more.

Thank you again,

Anita