Maggie Perry is a 15-year-old who grew up in Sydney and now lives in rural Queensland. As an election analyst for 6 News, Maggie has covered state and local elections around the country, and has won praise for her insightful seat-by-seat breakdowns and making accurate calls even before Antony Green!

Speaking in the final hours before the social media ban legislation was passed through the Senate on Thursday night, Spin Cycle co-hosts Natalie Feliks, Jess Lilley, Rachel Withers and Charlie Lewis speak to Maggie about what the social media ban would mean for her and other LGBTQIA+ young people, rural and otherwise-isolated or marginilised kids.

"If this bill had were to be passed maybe a year ago I never would have been able to access social media, but my real issue with it is that it really cuts off a lot of rural or queer kids to be able to access the communities that they're so beholden to. A lot of people only find that their home is on the internet because they're really isolated in the real world because they're from a minority that isn't exactly welcomed in their conservative area. A social media ban really just blocks these people from having a safe space."

6 News is an online news channel run by a team of young journalists. It was founded by Leo Puglisi, then 11 years old, in 2019. As Maggie points out, 6 News wouldn't exist if the social media bans had been in place at the time. You can read Leo's response to the social media bans on the 6 News website.

The team also chat to Maggie about a piece she wrote for Q News, How a social media ban will harm LGBTQIA+ teenagers like me.