Meet Gay Teen George Ray and His Mum, Roslyn – They’ve Got Some Social Media Tips
Social media – it’s part of everything we do, and we navigate it every day. For young people social media can be both a huge tool to advance your social life, career and more, but it can also be an avenue for mental health issues, and safety and wellbeing concerns.
Instagram has partnered with the online mental health service ReachOut Australia to launch ‘Reel Talk’, a series where parent and teen creator duos sit down to discuss social media and safety, to encourage everyone to engage in open conversations around social media.
Student Edge sat down with George Ray, a 13-year-old influencer and his Mum, Roslyn, to discuss Reel Talk and everything social media.
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“[Reel Talk] is a platform where parents and children can share their online journeys,” Roslyn said.
“It’s there to help facilitate transparent relationships and support for youth, by the guardian or parent in terms of their online usage.”
George, who is gay, said although coming out was “nerve wracking” at first, through conversations with his parents, he was able to accept who he is.
“With the support and help of my loving parents, they helped me realise that it's not something that's bad, it’s something that should be celebrated and I've learnt to help teach other people that as well.”
“George was very young, and the initial conversation was he was a bit confused, and, you know, wasn't quite sure himself and what it was that he was feeling,” Roslyn said.
“We said to him, that's fine. It's no different to your sister liking boys, or your brother liking girls. We don't care. We just want you to be healthy and happy and confident in who you are.”
George said teens face a lot of issues these days, like “sexism, racism and homophobia” but the biggest concern on young people’s minds is fitting in.
“It’s recently become a big thing to fit in, to be able to say that you belong to this group or have somewhere where you feel safe.”
George and Roslyn both say that social media can help with that.
George said “being able to have a platform where I can express myself and post things that make me happy” is a huge benefit of social media for him.
“Showing my journey, and showing people that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel has been great”
Roslyn echoed those benefits.
“George has really been able to use Instagram as a place where he can really showcase his authentic self,” she said.
Despite those benefits, George and Roslyn said there are some potential drawbacks of social media for both parents and their kids.
“Some people will download an app specifically to write rude comments or direct messages,” George said, “I think everyone has those moments in life where other people are trying to bring them down.”
“One thing that has been my biggest person is over-exposing George,” Roslyn said.
It’s concerns like these that have spurred on the Reel Talk program.
Jackie Hallan, Director of Service at ReachOut said the program is able to alleviate the concerns of parents and encourage constructive conversations about internet use.
“As the role of social media in teens' lives has grown, so have parents and carers’ concerns about online safety. We know that parents and carers want to help their teens navigate the online world but it can be confusing and overwhelming,” she said.
“One of the ways we can help improve online safety is to empower young people and their parents with online safety tools and the support they need to have conversations about social media, work together to set boundaries and connect to find solutions if something does go wrong.”
Parents can also visit Instagram’s Family Centre here, or ReachOut’s website here to find out more about the Reel Talk program and how they can have constructive conversations with their kids.
