There are fears the 'loneliness epidemic' could worsen as the under-16s social media ban approaches, but one youth organisation has an idea to avert it.
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Young Australians see social media as a tool to discover new music and meet like-minded people, according to a new national survey.
Newcastle's Jess Hickey knows how hard it could be to find live music in regional areas and how social media helped her discover local artists.
"There was close to nothing in terms of live music, particularly for someone under 18," Ms Hickey said.
"I discovered more Australian artists when I was 18, which was mostly through social media."
The survey conducted by the Australian youth music organisation, The Push, revealed that 70 per cent of respondents said they discovered new music via social media.
"This is a huge increase on last year's results, when just 41 per cent of young Australians told us they discovered new music via social media," The Push Chief Executive Officer Kate Duncan said.
The survey asked the participants how they discover and engage with music.
Platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X are platforms referenced by the people surveyed, all of which will be banned for under-16s in December 2025.
Ms Duncan hopes the data will encourage the government to support new pathways that allow young people to continue to access live music.
"If online communities are being switched off for young people under the age of 16 on December 10, what are we doing to ensure we're not exacerbating the loneliness epidemic that we're seeing across the country?" she said.
Ms Hickey said she found a lot of music acts through word of mouth and online, and it would make a massive difference if the government supported pathways.
"Just seeing what my friends post and seeing what they like and music they share, I think social media is a big aspect in terms of meeting people and networking," she said.
Ms Duncan said more than two-thirds of participants would support programs that encourage music events for young people after the ban
"More than three in five of those we surveyed say attending live music events is important to them, and 80 per cent would support a government program for young people to organise or attend music events so they can stay connected without social media."
According to Ending Loneliness Together, the age group of 15-24 remains the loneliest in the country, with rates increasing since 2008 and jumping during COVID-19.
The survey also found that more than three in five (63 per cent) say attending music is important to them.
Regional areas such as south-west Victoria received $83,000 in funding to combat loneliness in 2023.
However, cost remains the most common barrier for young Australians to attend music events.
"Without accessible entry points, we risk losing the next generation of live music audiences," Ms Duncan said.
William Stanley
William is a journalist at the Warrnambool Standard. Reach out with news or updates to william.stanley@warrnamboolstandard.com.au
