‘Moral panic’ about new media’s influence on young voters underplays their interest in politics, creators say

Young Australians want to change the world – they just aren’t relying on traditional media to help them do it

• Polls tracker; election guide; full federal election coverage
• Anywhere but Canberra; interactive electorates guide
• Listen to the latest episode of our new narrative podcast series: Gina
• Get our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcast

Young Australian voters “do actually care” about politics and current affairs, Konrad Benjamin tells Guardian Australia. “Aussie punters are not disengaged,” he says. “Most of the corporate media and politicians just refuse to talk about the big, systemic things that are broken, and how we can fix them.”

The creator behind Punters Politics, with 400,000 followers on Instagram, is a popular source of information in the lead up to the federal election, according to responses to the Guardian Australia young voter callout. He is one of a lineup of independent commentators and journalists creating content on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Twitch that people told us they are turning to for political information.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter