A mum-of-four who previously wanted her daughter to pursue social media as a career is backing a proposed ban on under-16s using those platforms.
Carla Bellucci was urging her 20-year-old daughter Tanisha to become a content creator, but has since changed her mind after being subject to vicious trolling.
“I wanted her to be able to get paid for something she loved at the time – not thinking about any consequences,” the 44-year-old, from Hertfordshire, told Need To Know.
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“I thought it was all roses, good money, traveling the world and becoming rich.
“But when I came into the limelight, she was trolled so badly.
“I could see how hateful the comments were, and it affected her self-esteem.
“She was told she looks awful and even that her mum deserves to be dead.”
The harsh trolling has made Carla entirely change her mind on whether or not teenagers belong on social media – and she has vowed to make sure her younger daughter Blue, age four, doesn’t have an account until she is 18.
She said: “I never show Blu’s face online – no one knows what she looks like and I’ll protect her at all costs.
“People hate on me so badly and I don’t want her to suffer for me.
“My sons – who are 23 and 18 – don’t use social media at all, which I’m glad of.
“My biggest regret is letting Tanisha [have an account] at 14.
“It was a big mistake.
“She wasn’t strong enough and we have suffered the consequences.”
With a proposed potential ban on social media use in under-16s – which has recently passed in Australia – Carla is hopeful that things will change for future children.
She said: “I think this ban on social media for under 16s should go ahead.
“I’m all for it – even though I once wanted my eldest daughter to be a social media star.
“I think a ban is a great idea.
“Kids are too immature and believe everything they see [online].
“It affects their day-to-day life and makes them not want to be in reality.
“They need to live in the real world and stop messaging through emojis.
“They need to get out of their bedrooms and stop comparing life – it’s so damaging.”
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