Dr. Aimee Kettoola Urges Legislative Action to Protect Youth from Social Media Risks

A prominent Rotorua paediatrician, Dr. Aimee Kettoola, is leading the call for a legislative ban on social media for individuals under the age of 16, citing alarming rises in online grooming, predatory behavior, and mental health issues among young users.

Kettoola, who works with Te Whatu Ora Lakes and provides sexual assault assessment and treatment services, emphasized the need for urgent action after a recent high-profile case in Rotorua. Raveen Saily, 23, used Snapchat to groom two Bay of Plenty teenagers and sexually assaulted them. Last week, he admitted to grooming a third victim, an 11-year-old in Auckland, through the same platform.

In the Rotorua case, Saily had befriended a 13-year-old online before raping her after convincing her to meet in person. At the time, he was on bail for a separate rape charge in Mount Maunganui, for which he was jailed in December last year. He will face sentencing in December for the Rotorua offense.

Kettoola said the case was ‘just one of the many’ she has encountered in her work with at-risk and high-achieving youth. She has seen a ‘massive increase’ in online grooming and predatory behavior, noting that no amount of monitoring or education can fully prevent tragic outcomes when adults with malicious intent approach vulnerable children.

Kettoola described the mental and physical toll of social media on young people, including anxiety, depression, mental distress, low self-esteem, disorders, poor sleep, and attention issues. She argued that the current generation is not equipped to handle the overwhelming influx of imagery and content that these platforms expose them to.

‘The only answer is legislative change,’ she said, highlighting the failure of current measures to adequately protect children from harm. She supports the campaign by B416, a national lobby group advocating for digital age protections and a minimum age of 16 for access to social media platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram.

According to data obtained by B416 under the Official Information Act, there have been 2,109 Harmful Digital Communications Act cases involving people under 16 since the law was introduced in 2015. In the Bay of Plenty alone, there have been 109 complaints under the act, with nearly 900 children recorded as offenders nationally. However, few cases have made it to court, with the majority resolved through informal means such as warnings or alternative action.

B416 spokeswoman Dr. Samantha Marsh, from the University of Auckland, criticized the current system for failing to address the scale of harm being done to young people. ‘We don’t let 12-year-olds into nightclubs. Why are we letting them into algorithm-driven digital environments that are designed to manipulate and addict?’ she asked.

B416 is advocating for a comprehensive approach, including stronger enforcement, platform accountability, and education, alongside the proposed minimum age of 16 for social media access. The issue has gained significant traction following a strong public response to National MP Catherine Wedd’s proposed Social Media Age-Restricted Users Bill in May.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has since added the topic to the Government’s official workstream, and Parliament’s Education and Workforce Select Committee is currently conducting an inquiry into the harm young people may face online. Submissions to the inquiry closed on July 30, with oral hearings by invitation set to follow. The committee is expected to report to the House by the end of November.

As the debate continues, concerns over the impact of social media on youth mental health and safety are growing. Advocates argue that legislative action is essential to prevent further harm and protect the next generation from the dangers of unregulated online spaces.