DistantNews
Support us
Inquiry Targets ‘Staggering’ Male Suicide Rates and Harmful Algorithms
🇦🇺 Australia /Technology

Inquiry Targets ‘Staggering’ Male Suicide Rates and Harmful Algorithms

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • South Australia will establish a parliamentary inquiry into men’s health, including suicide rates, barriers to care and social media algorithms.
  • Health Minister Blair Boyer said men are three times more likely than women to die by suicide in the state, where suicide is the leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 44.
  • The committee will examine the roles of sporting clubs, social groups, men’s sheds and digital platforms in men’s health.

South Australia’s parliament is preparing to examine why men continue to face severe mental-health risks, with officials linking the inquiry to suicide rates and the online influence of the “manosphere.”

Health Minister Blair Boyer said suicide remains the leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 44 in South Australia. Men, he said, are three times more likely than women to die by suicide. “To consider that to still be the case in 2026 is really, really alarming,” Boyer said.

To consider that to still be the case in 2026 is really, really alarming.

— Blair BoyerThe South Australian health minister discussed suicide as the leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 44.

The proposed joint house committee will look at how men access health services and the stigma and other barriers that can prevent them from seeking help. It will also examine sporting clubs, social groups and men’s sheds, along with digital platforms and algorithms that target male users.

Boyer said the issue had gained sharper attention after the death of Jaryd Dawson, the brother of Adelaide Crows captain Jordan Dawson. Referring to Jordan Dawson’s public discussion of the loss, Boyer said, “It’s hard not to have a tear come to your eye when you hear him [Jordan] talk about that, but these things are still happening out there.”

It’s hard not to have a tear come to your eye when you hear him [Jordan] talk about that, but these things are still happening out there.

— Blair BoyerBoyer referred to Jordan Dawson’s discussion of his brother Jaryd Dawson’s death.

Labor MLC Hilton Gumbys is expected to chair the committee. Its members will include Cheyne Rich, Ella Shaw, Family First MLC Sarah Game and Greens MLC Robert Simms. Gumbys said algorithms could direct vulnerable young men without strong role models toward harmful sources of advice. “We haven’t got time to waste on this; young people’s lives are at stake,” he said.

Game said the inquiry should also seek better diagnosis of depression and anxiety in men, as well as improved outcomes for boys who face suspension, exclusion or underachievement at school.

We haven’t got time to waste on this; young people’s lives are at stake.

— Hilton GumbysThe expected chair of the parliamentary committee stressed the urgency of the inquiry.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog