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Good morning.

I am the mother of Matilda Tilly Rosewarne.

Who died by suicide just after 3 a.m.

On the 16th of February 2022. 1,317 days ago. She was just 15 years old. My brave little girl. Determined to look pretty.

Put on her makeup one last time.

She'd planned this moment out in detail. She'd done a research. She'd done it online.

And made sure everything would work this time. Exhausted and broken. She just couldn't fight anymore.

She climbed on the top of the backyard tree house.

She slipped the noose around her neck.

And stepped off Into whatever experience eventually awaits us all. That was the 12th time.

Til he had attempted to take her life.

And that was it She left us. Our brave Shattered little girl.

And social media played a direct role in her death. Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook.

TikTok They all played their deadly part. Of course, Tilly's pain was over. But for everyone who loved her. Our daily pain never ends.

Tilly was found by her father and somehow her 13 year old sister ran into the backyard alone. To find her sister lifeless.

That traumatic vision continues to haunt them both.

You see, Tilly died from 1000 cuts that occurred in the course of her short life.

The bullying started in primary school and it moved from face to face to social media. And the hum was swift.

From not being invited to parties that everyone is at. Only to have girls ring, message. And taunt her all night long.

To harassment and bullying via social media.

On the 14th of February 2020, Tilly attempted suicide for the first time.

But for me The pivotal moment happened on the 23rd of November.

2020 A fake nude photo of her doctored by a fellow student. Was circulated on Snapchat.

Reaching at 1st 5 children, then 300 children.

By 4:00 p.m. and by 6:00 p.m. over 3000 children.

The reality of this harm was instant. Till he was hysterical and spiraling.

I rang the school, but because the boy and his mother denied he'd even had his phone. They couldn't do anything.

That night Tilly attempted suicide by cutting her arms, and there was a lot of blood.

If ever I could say that Tilly was unpacking as a person, it was on this day.

Early the next morning, I rang police.

And the officer explained, look, it's just really hard to stop this happening.

I have another case and I'm waiting 3 months. For Snapchat to give us information. Sorry And that was it.

In a small rural community, this event was catastrophic for Tilly. She wouldn't leave the house. She stopped school, she stopped dancing. Drawing She stopped engaging in life. By late 2021.

As Tilly battled depression and anxiety,

the algorithms of her social media kicked in and the content became dark.

Very dark Til he was in tears over her Facebook account which sent

her a message saying keep trying to kill yourself, hopefully it'll work one day.

Another Instagram message said, lol, what are you gonna do, kill yourself?

Afterwards, police confirmed her phone history was full of Snapchat,

Instagram and TikTok videos and images related to suicide, death.

And mental illness This was death by bullying,

but it was enabled by social media.

Even after she died, the bullying continued with jokes posted online.

A boy even wrote on Tilly's Instagram account.

Tried to high five a tree, but it left her a hanging.

In this age of social media technology, with all the positives of access to information and social engagement,

social media has also unleashed real harm on its users.

Harm that at first, we didn't understand.

But today, research has crystallized what we were witnessing in our communities,

a decline in mental health, concentration.

The negative effects on body image, social skills, sleep.

Social isolation ironically, and of course, Cyberbullying.

These are known harms from social media, and as Tilly's mother, I remain personally insulted that Mits global head of safety,

Angela Davis said to our government in 2024,

I don't think social media has done harm to our children. Really?

The invention of cars gave humans freedom and the ability to explore the world.

Early models lacked safety features, but as cars evolved we learnt the damage they could do and safety measures were introduced,

windscreens, seatbelts, safety glass, airbags.

And in the same way that car manufacturers are responsible for protecting those that drive their vehicles,

social media giants must take responsibility for protecting our children. Because across the globe. Their suffering They're dying.

As a direct result of their social media engagement. And as parents, we need help.

After Tilly died, I knew I needed to do something to protect the other Tilly.

I was speaking to media and to politicians when I was asked to be part of the Let Them Be Kids campaign.

And I'm proud to say that many of our team are here today.

And so too are the representatives of 36 months,

organizations engendered in in good.

The Australian government heard the call from passionate advocates and has stood up and said no more. This is unacceptable.

Australian children will no longer be monetized in this way.

And we're the first country to do this.

And Australia only has 1.2 + million kids aged between 13 and 15.

But what about the 226 million children of that age around the rest of the world? Don't they also need protecting?

The only way to stop this harm is to hit these corporations

in their hip pocket because they've known about it and they've done nothing.

Much like the tobacco companies of old.

I implore leaders and nations of our great world to act but act now.

Making it illegal for children to access social media under 16 will improve lives. It will save lives.

It was once said that all it takes for evil to flourish is for good people to do nothing. So it's time to do something. For parents of the lost children. Our lives are measured in days. Weeks And months from our loss. By birthdays.

Anniversaries Christmases and events that serve to remind

us that life is moving on for everyone else.

Except us We watch as other parents' children get licenses.

They graduate All the things that our babies won't achieve.

And it's brutal Yes Since Tilly died,

I've had the privilege of meeting so many parents like me.

Because there are so many Tilly in the community,

there are Max, Ollier, Livs, Charlotte.

CNN Alums These are real Australian children who have died by suicide. And social media was to blame.

So now I ask you to hold my tiny.

And all the lost children in your hearts and do

what you can to change the narrative across our world.

For Tilly's sake Because how many more tillies must die. Thank you.

I really Yeah,

I've got to put the water.

Thank you so much Emma, your work to honor the legacy of your

Tilly and to protect all of our Tilly is both profound and compelling.

Would you all please join me now in welcoming President Ursula von der Leyen to

speak to us about the agenda of the European Union when it comes to online safety.