A Christchurch documentary maker is throwing her support behind a bill aiming to ban under-16s from social media after completing a 'distressing' social media experiment.

Nadia Maxwell set up pages on TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat posing as a 13-year-old - and was quickly bombarded with content related to eating disorders and mental health issues. 

She says she attempted the experiment before and after new safeguards for teens were introduced, but didn't notice much of a difference.

"The only positive difference that I saw was that in part one there was a lot of oversexualised content - and so that's dropped down. But in terms of the sort of content you'd want your average 13-year-old sitting down in front of every day, there's so much heavy and distressing stuff." 

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A Christchurch documentary maker is throwing her support behind a bill aiming to ban under-16s from social media after completing a 'distressing' social media experiment.
Nadia Maxwell set up pages on TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat posing as a 13-year-old - and was quickly bombarded with content related to eating disorders and mental health issues.&nbsp;
She says she attempted the experiment before and after new safeguards for teens were introduced, but didn't notice much of a difference.
"The only positive difference that I saw was that in part one there was a lot of oversexualised content - and so that's dropped down. But in terms of the sort of content you'd want your average 13-year-old sitting down in front of every day, there's so much heavy and distressing stuff."&nbsp;
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With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Nadia Maxwell: documentary maker voices concerns over social media following new experiment

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/ad3c57ed-00b2-47ac-bb53-b3450053166c/transcript