INQYR PI Dr. Shelley Craig discusses proposed social media bans and impacts on 2SLGBTQ+ youth on CBC’s BC Today

INQYR PI Dr. Shelley Craig recently joined Michelle Eliot at CBC's BC Today to discuss the recent discussions of youth social media bans globally and the implications for 2SLGBTQ+ youth. While there has been a growing push for this ban in Canada, Dr. Craig, who is the Canada Research Chair in Sexual and Gender Minority Youth, notes that there is no evidence showing that such bans improve mental health and warns that it may, in fact, disproportionately harm 2SLGBTQ+ youth who rely on online social platforms for building resilience, identity formation, navigating negativity, and finding support & community. Drawing directly upon research conducted by INQYR, she notes that social media can be a life-saving tool for queer youth and a ban can cut access to social connection, coping support and mental health resources that are otherwise not available to SGDY. Ultimately, Dr. Craig urges Canadian policymakers to move away from an "act first, evaluate later" approach and toward an evidence-informed policy that includes youth voices.