Police Investigate Death of 16-Year-Old Girl in Sydney

New South Wales police are investigating the death of a 16-year-old girl after a suspected sexual strangulation act. Emergency services were called to a home in Elanora Heights in Sydney's northern beaches on Sunday evening after a welfare concern report. Paramedics found the teenager unresponsive and treated her at the scene before airlifting her to Royal North Shore Hospital in critical condition. She died in hospital on Tuesday night.

A police spokesperson confirmed that officers from the Northern Beaches Police Area Command had commenced an investigation into the incident. Authorities have not disclosed the cause of death, but sources with knowledge of the matter told the ABC that the girl is believed to have lost consciousness as a result of asphyxiation after allegedly being choked during sexual intercourse. One source said officers had been told the sex was consensual. No arrests have been made, and the investigation is continuing.

The case has sparked public discussion about the prevalence of sexual choking among young people. Federal Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said she was "extremely worried" about the rise of sexual strangulation, citing that almost 60% of young people had reported experiencing choking in a recent sexual encounter. "There is no safe way of choking someone," she told ABC radio. "I'm pleading with parents and schools today to use every opportunity to have really direct conversations with young people. Kids are getting their sex education from pornography before they've had their first kiss." She acknowledged the government's social media ban for under-16s and age verification for pornography would "help a bit with this," but noted children were "spectacularly good at getting around these rules."

Independent MP for Warringah Zali Steggall described the teenager's death as "devastating" and said it underscored the need for a national education campaign to tackle misogyny and teach respectful relationships. She told ABC radio that the rise in sexual strangulation was being "led by pornography [and] manosphere content on social media" and criticised what she called a "go slow, weak response that is so incredibly frustrating while people are exposed." Steggall called for a duty of care from social media platforms, noting that "80% of kids are surveyed as having gotten around that age ban. So that is not protecting many people at all." She also highlighted the importance of programs like Chanel Contos's Teach Us Consent, saying they were crucial to "give people more control over resetting the algorithms of their content."

The police investigation is ongoing.