Online Racism Declared 'Public Health Emergency' by Indigenous Leaders and Health Professionals

Indigenous leaders and health professionals are sounding the alarm over the escalating impact of online racism on young First Nations people in Australia, urging a collective responsibility from social media users and publishers. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has officially recognized racism as a "public health emergency," a sentiment echoed during a recent government hearing on racism, hate, and violence directed at Indigenous Australians.

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We're seeing really strong community members getting hit from all corners and then taking their life as a result of external pressures.

Merissa Nona, from the Cairns Indigenous social organization Deadly Inspiring Youth Doing Good (DIYDG), shared a harrowing account of how online abuse contributes to severe mental health crises, including suicides, among community members. She noted that while younger individuals may develop resilience, the constant barrage of hateful comments takes a significant toll. "Hurt people go on to hurt people," Nona stated, underscoring the cyclical nature of such aggression.

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I've got a few more years in building up resilience and understanding where those comments are coming from. But I know hurt people go on to hurt people.

Her colleague, Stacee Kethcell, highlighted the dual nature of social media as a tool for cultural sharing and a source of fear due to potential racist backlash. "NAIDOC is one week that we have to share with everybody and to celebrate us, and we still cop it," she said, referring to the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee week. Kethcell argued that racist comments attack the identity of First Nations people, leading to judgment based on others' prejudices. She called for increased accountability and regulation, particularly from platforms like Meta, emphasizing that responses to racism must be informed by the experiences of those directly affected.

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NAIDOC is one week that we have to share with everybody and to celebrate us, and we still cop it.

Elder Nicole Huxley from the remote community of Jumbun described the profound, yet often immeasurable, damage caused by social media. She expressed deep concern for younger generations encountering racist content, stating, "We should not have our children seeing racism because we don't raise our children with racism." Huxley recounted an instance where children participating in NAIDOC Week celebrations faced hateful commentary online, illustrating the difficulty First Nations youth face in engaging with broader society while celebrating their culture.

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It's an attack on their identity, who they are as people, and they've been judged because someone has a belief or an attitude towards our people.