More than 40% of children under 16 are exposed to family violence, yet many feel alienated from traditional helplines that rely on phone calls, according to experts in Australia. A new proposal aims to create a digital ‘support multiverse’ to act as a front door for young people seeking help in familiar online spaces.
Safe Steps, a Victorian family support service, says young people are increasingly reluctant to use phone calls, with a recent UK study finding 30% of people aged 16–29 fear picking up the phone. The service is calling for a nationally co-designed digital platform that would allow young people to engage via social media, online games, forums and messaging apps.
Suzanne Paynter, group director of business growth at Safe Steps, stressed the need to listen to young people to avoid building “systems by adults for adults”. The service reports that 43% of its clients are children or young people accompanying an adult, highlighting the scale of the issue.
Dr Cristyn Davies, a senior research fellow at the University of Sydney, said young people face significant barriers when seeking help and that current systems rarely reflect how adolescents communicate. She warned that a proposed social media ban for under-16s could cut off vital support channels.
Professor Cathy Humphreys from the University of Melbourne pointed to a lack of dedicated funding for children’s support services, noting that many refuges do not have a funded children’s worker. She described the gap as “such a gap in the service system”.
The support multiverse is intended to complement offline services, with experts urging investment in specialist, trauma-informed support to ensure real pathways to safety when young people reach out.
