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Zara Seidler, Stop it at the Start campaign ambassador and co-founder of youth news service, the Daily Aus, talks about how we all have to play our part in ending violence against women.

“It’s not one of us, it’s all of us.”  

Since starting the Daily Aus, Zara has seen how social media can shape young people’s views on gender and respect.  

“We have these echo chambers now on social media that mean that young people are having the same kind of views reaffirmed to them and they're not really engaging with diverse perspectives as they would have in real life. That becomes particularly dangerous when that content that they're seeing and that they're engaging with is harmful or disrespectful.”  

She also highlights the role parents and carers play in supporting their young people, both online and in the real world.

“To create a more respectful society, we need to see in the online world more examples of healthy, respectful debate happen. Individuals can be positive role models for the young people in their lives by creating spaces for conversations with them and also by modelling what respectful conversation and what respectful relationships look like both online and in the real world.”  

By talking to young people about respect, we can have a positive influence on their attitudes and behaviours as they grow into adults. It’s important to be clear about what is acceptable, and model this ourselves. 

The Excuse Interpreter can help you avoid using seemingly harmless phrases that might send mixed messages to young people about respect.

Luke and Daniel Mancuso, brothers and creators of the social enterprise Yiayia Next Door, have joined the Stop it at the Start campaign to talk about the role adults play in helping kids navigate the online world and the power of positivity.

Young kids can be exposed to negative content online and the adults in their lives need to help them understand and learn how to deal with this type of content.

“It’s important for adults to call out the disrespect from the start because they are the role models and the kids do see that,” Daniel said.  

Luke and Daniel created Yiayia Next Door as a platform for good after their own experience with domestic violence.

“Yiayia Next Door is a social enterprise Daniel and I founded in 2019. It's in honour of our late mum who sadly passed to domestic violence. We never want anyone to experience what we've been through in today's society,” Luke explains.

When adults—parents, family members, friends, teachers, coaches, employers, work colleagues and other community role models—work together as a team to promote respect, we set a positive example for our young people.

Generation Respect has practical tips to help you build the confidence to make a start. 

Co-founder and Creative Director of Voice of Change, Shaynna Blaze, has joined the Stop it at the Start campaign to encourage the community to speak up and speak out about gendered disrespect.

“We have to stand up as a society and say enough, as individuals, we need to be part of making this change about gendered violence.”

Family and domestic violence can be a difficult topic to discuss. Shaynna sees the arts, and her foundation, Voice of Change, as a way to get the messages around domestic violence across to the general public.

“You say family and domestic violence, and people instantly either turn away or freeze up or don't want to talk about it. The arts is about communicating the message so people feel comfortable to start those uncomfortable conversations.”

Gender-based violence has long term and far-reaching impacts. It affects children, families, friends, work colleagues, communities and society as a whole.

But we can all take action to help prevent it.

The Conversation Guide can help you start the conversation about respect and respectful relationships with the young people in your life.

This article contains images from the Hidden Trends of Disrespect TV commercials. 

Media are encouraged to use these images for coverage of this campaign.