Agency Performance - Share the voices of children and young people

Speaking Out Survey

Every few years, the Commissioner delivers the Speaking Out Survey to build a consistent and reliable picture of the wellbeing of children and young people across Western Australia. To date, the survey has been conducted in 2019, 2021 and 2025, creating a strong and growing evidence base over time.

The Speaking Out Survey 2025 (SOS 2025) marks a significant milestone in the series, through which the Commissioner was able to reach more than 17,000 children and young people in Years 4 to 12 from schools across metropolitan, regional and remote Western Australia. SOS 2025 also captured data that allows findings to be explored across key demographic characteristics, including Aboriginality, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) background, age, school year, gender, region and remoteness. This makes SOS 2025 the largest and most detailed survey in the series to date.

The scale and scope of SOS 2025 provides a comprehensive understanding of children and young people's wellbeing. This continues to support the Commissioner's statutory function to advocate on behalf of children and young people and ensure that decisions affecting them are informed by their voices and lived experiences.

Hearing from children and young people

The Speaking Out Survey is one of the largest representative wellbeing surveys in Australia that relies on self-reported data from children and young people. It provides them with an opportunity to share their experiences and perspectives rather than having their views interpreted or reported by adults or institutions.

SOS 2025 explores wellbeing across three domains: Healthy and Connected, Safe and Supported, and Learning and Participating. These domains capture the core aspects of children and young people's lives that influence their wellbeing and opportunities to thrive. Analysis across the domains helps identify where children and young people are faring well and where additional attention may be required.

"Their outside voices says that they're ok, when really their inside voice says that they're not ok." – Boy, 11

Translating evidence into change

The SOS 2025 Report will be released in early 2026-27. It will be tabled in Parliament and published on the Commissioner's website, alongside data snapshots for key areas.

SOS 2025 builds on the data collected in the 2019 and 2021 surveys, creating a unique opportunity to explore trends in children and young people's wellbeing over time. Trend analysis will be conducted across all three survey iterations to identify shifts, emerging patterns and persistent issues affecting children and young people across Western Australia.

Findings from the SOS 2025 Report will inform and drive the Commissioner's advocacy work into 2027 and beyond. This includes subsequent publications exploring the key findings and priority areas raised by the children and young people.

A snapshot of what children and young people told us

• Most children and young people generally report positive wellbeing outcomes across the domains.
• Younger students report a more positive outlook than older students.
• Engagement with school and learning declines during high school years.
• Girls report less favourably than boys across several measures of wellbeing.
• Mental health continues to emerge as a critical issue for many students.

SOS in 2025 snapshot

• More than 17,000 WA children and young people engaged
• 122 schools visited
• 4,718 CaLD young people surveyed
• 92 suburbs and towns visited
• 16,169 completed surveys
• 1,373 Aboriginal children and young people surveyed
• Approximately 35,000km travelled across WA

Case study: Charles Owers – Speaking Out Survey fieldwork, Wheatbelt trip, July 2025

In July 2025, myself and two colleagues, Claire and Janean, travelled to the Wheatbelt to deliver the Speaking Out Survey at several schools. The trip took us from Perth to Northam, Southern Cross, Mukinbudin and various small communities along the way. Although the purpose of the trip was to engage students in our important statewide survey, the experience also became a meaningful opportunity to better get to know my colleagues and to take in many of the Wheatbelt's beautiful sights.

Delivering the Speaking Out Survey required early starts and a high level of coordination. Each morning began with breakfast together before heading out to meet school staff and set up for the day. At every school we were warmly welcomed by teachers and administrators, who were invariably glad to support the survey. Engaging with students was a definite highlight – greeting them as they arrived, helping them navigate the iPad survey and chatting with them before, during and after the survey. Their openness, curiosity and willingness to share their perspectives reinforced the importance of the survey and the value of being physically present in their communities.

Much of our time was spent travelling between towns, and the long car journeys afforded us a good opportunity to converse and get to know each other. We rotated driving duties while sharing music, podcasts and conversations that made the kilometres pass easily. Evenings were another source of camaraderie as we explored the town of Southern Cross on foot and dined together after full days at the schools. We also made time for small side trips – including Baladjie Rock and Frog Rock – that combined memorable conversations with alluring and awe-inspiring sights.

For all three of us, the Wheatbelt is not a region we typically spend much time in, which made the journey feel both new and eye opening. Travelling in the middle of winter meant the landscape was far greener and wetter than expected. Rolling paddocks, granite outcrops and wide-open skies created scenery that surprised and impressed us throughout the trip.

This trip combined professional engagement with memorable team experiences and a renewed appreciation for our state's Wheatbelt region. Through long drives, shared meals, school visits and outdoor adventures, our team became more cohesive while undertaking our work surveying students in the Wheatbelt. The trip highlighted not only the value of the Speaking Out Survey but also the importance of connection – within our team, with the schools we visited and with the communities that make up this unique part of the state.

Youth engagement

This year marked a significant shift in how we engage with children and young people. Our conversations were deeper, broader and more diverse than ever, especially as we consulted widely on the proposed social media ban, which opened new avenues for young people to share their views on an issue that directly affects their daily lives. Their insights were thoughtful, candid and often challenging, reminding us just how essential their perspectives are.

When children and young people are given genuine opportunities to speak, they reveal blind spots, question long-held assumptions and offer practical solutions grounded in lived experience. Their voices help decision-makers understand what policies look like in real life, not just on paper.

By amplifying these perspectives across all our engagement activities, the Commissioner continues to advocate for change that is informed, inclusive and truly reflective of the needs and rights of children and young people in Western Australia.

"I'm … proud of our progressive culture of defending, standing up for and supporting each other no matter what, even though it's difficult in our society. I know that the disabled community will always fight for me when I can't fight for myself." – WA young person

SOS Perth Metro

SOS East Kimberley

SOS Albany

DigiMe consultation

DigiMe is the Commissioner's digital consultation tool, which invites children and young people to respond to a prompt question, create a personalised avatar and share their views via the Commissioner's website and social media channels.

During 2025-26, 151 young people participated in DigiMe consultations across four questions:

• What would you do to change the world?
• What do you think of the social media ban?
• What is one thing you are looking forward to about starting back at school this year and what is one thing you're worried about?
• What are you most proud of in your community or culture?

Their responses were inspiring, encouraging and often thought provoking. The Commissioner will continue to promote children and young people's voices through DigiMe in 2026-27.

Social media ban consultation

In response to the Australian Government's introduction of social media restrictions for children under 16, the Commissioner invited young people to share their views through DigiMe between 1 October 2025 and 28 January 2026. The question posed was: 'What do you think about the social media ban for under-16s?' A total of 145 responses were received, of which 120 were from young people under 18, drawn from across Western Australia.

Young people expressed thoughtful and, at times, complex views. While many acknowledged the intent to protect children from online harm, most opposed the ban in its current form. Key themes included concern about losing connection with friends and family; the appropriateness of a 16-plus age threshold, with many respondents suggesting 13 or 14 as more appropriate; the particular impact on young people in regional and remote areas who rely on social media for connection; and the potential effect on LGBTIQA+ young people, who described online communities as vital spaces for identity, support and belonging. Young people also raised concerns about privacy in age-verification processes, the effectiveness of a blanket approach and the importance of being consulted on decisions that affect their lives.

The Commissioner published the findings in the report What Young People Said: Youth Consultation on the Social Media Ban. On 10 December 2025, the day the legislation took effect, the Commissioner participated in a live panel discussion on Youth Jam Radio alongside Lucas Lane, the 16-year-old founder of Glossy Boys, and Professor Marie Yap, a psychologist specialising in youth mental health. The Commissioner also co-authored an opinion editorial in The West Australian with Chloe Clements, Manager of the Youth Pride Network, examining the impact of the ban on LGBTIQA+ young people.