Youth Parliament 2025: Collaboration and media literacy needed for better online safety
Aarthi Candadai, the Youth MP for National Party List MP and Finance Minister Nicola Willis, is a young superwoman who can do it all, from podcasting to organising Tedx talks and other community events.
National Party List MP Nicola Willis, left, with her 2025 Youth MP Aarthi Candadai. Photo supplied
Candadai is especially passionate about youth development and online safety.
She emphasises the importance of collaboration and shared responsibility in the best interests of young people regarding online safety, as well as day-to-day life.
“The digital world can be a really empowering space, but it can also be an incredibly dangerous and also harmful space,” Candadai says.
Rates of screen use for New Zealand young people are amongst the highest in the world, with them spending an average of 42 hours online per week in 2018, including both home and school use.
Social media creates a space for authentic and stigma-free interactions, where everyone is free to explore their identity.
It can be used as a safe space where young people can seek mental health support.
However, unregulated, online spaces can cause harm to users, including exposure to harmful or distressing content, compromised privacy and safety, exposure to harmful and addictive commodities, cyberbullying, body image issues, loneliness, sleep deprivation, and negative impacts on haoura (health and well-being, encompassing physical, mental, social, and spiritual aspects).
Candadai believes online safety can’t fall on the shoulders of one group.
“It’s definitely a shared responsibility,” she says.
“Number one, it’s up to tech companies, who need to put harm reduction ahead of engagement.
“They need to focus on how they can prevent young people from experiencing online harm.
“The Government needs to allocate resources and keep up with technology. They need to actually engage with young people.
“A stronger emphasis on media literacy is needed, not just for young people but throughout the community.
“We need to give our people the necessary skillsets so they can navigate the digital world realm safely.
“We need to empower them with education rather than taking away their resources.”
Youth MP Aarthi Candadai is passionate about youth development and online safety. Photo supplied
Candadai says she and other young people feel that bills focus on the banning of phones in schools and now social media for under-16s, showing how the voices of young people are far too often being drowned out.
“These decisions and proposals make it seem like they’ve never even spoken to a young person before,” she says.
“Young people know what they want. We are experts in our own lives and experiences.”
Young people are what inspire Candadai every day.
The great things youth are able to do when given opportunities and resources is what motivates her to work hard to uplift her peers.
“Young people must be consulted for issues that impact their lives, that young people are not as careless as they are thought out to be, and that young people are the driving force for change,” she says.
Young people are sidelined when decisions are being made, decisions that impact them, their lives, their futures.
Youth are the future of our country, and we should work with them, empower them with the tools to succeed in their lives.
When youth come together on issues they’re truly passionate about, no one can stop them, and they will change the world.
By Taara Malhi, 2025 Youth Parliament Youth Press Gallery member & Dear Em Embassador
Story originally published by Eastern Times
