About Me

Barbs McFadden, freelance writer.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Communications from Griffith University, 2025. 

I was awarded highly commended in the best new journalist category at the 2026 IT Journalism Awards for my time at AdNews Australia, as a journalist in the media owner and AdTech beat.
I am currently a freelance contributor to Mamamia. 

I am fascinated by  dating culture and my writing explores the intersection of sex, relationships, self-esteem and mental health.

My Latest Work

'My 3-year friendship ended in a car ride. Driving past a skate park, she said something horrifying.'

If you want to support independent women's media, become a Mamamia subscriber . Get an all-access pass to everything we make, including exclusive podcasts, articles, videos and our exercise app, MOVE. Earlier this year, I ended a three-year friendship.I had finally hit the equivalent of a "seven-year itch", where, for lack of a better word, I got the 'ick'.That's not to say we didn't have good times.We were there for each other through breakups and breakdowns, moving cities and career changes,...

‘Raw dogging’ life: The insane cost stopping young Aussies from getting help

not being able to fix it.You watch as your life passes by with the same patterns repeating themselves. You do“the work” – exercise, eat right, see a therapist, and take medicine for the anxiety anddepression label that gets slapped on everyone and their uncle! And yet, your quality oflife doesn’t seem to be improving.Why? Because the help you actually need is too expensive! You have all thesequestions about who you are, why you are the way you are, but none of the answers.And getting to the root...

Streaming platform local content quotas to level the playing field - AdNews

Content quotas for streaming platforms will give the Australian screen economy a fighting chance in the global market, according to analysts.

The media industry is prepared for the launch of the Australian content obligation and recognises how local stories impact at scale.

Under the proposed legislation, platforms with more than one million subscribers, such as Netflix, Disney+ and Paramount+, will have to commit 10% of their total Australian revenue expenditure or 7.5% or their local revenue...

"Meta raises a valid point": Industry weighs in on social media ban - AdNews

The Australian Government's social media ban for under 16's has increased pressure by putting the responsibility of digital safety back on media owners as the government adopts a “tech-neutral” response to navigating age-verification, according to media agencies.

Under the social media ban, the platforms were not mandated to use a specific age-verification approach. Earlier this week Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads called on age-verification to be introduced at an app-store lev...

Why these agency heads left advertising behind - AdNews

Frustrated by changed client dynamics and the reduced role of agencies, some now former agency heads have left adland behind, reigniting their love for brand building through entrepreneurship.

Founder of recruitment company Prime Mover, Simon Hadfield, says this is not a remarkable trend with people more likely to turn to "go client side" around the five to eight years experience mark.

However, he recognises how the appeal of the creative industry has changed.

"The creative industry seems to...