Prospect of under-16s social media ban

Dai Durbridge, partner at Browne Jacobson, commented, “Banning social media for under-16s would be almost impossible to implement practically – instead, government should be ramping up education for children on how they interact with online platforms. While it’s correct to engage with other countries’ experiences in this field, we can also learn from the many historic examples of bans being imposed on the general public across the world – from popular literature to alcohol – to only grow in popularity as a result. Most recently, there is plenty of evidence illustrating how easy it has been for people to circumvent websites blocked by the Online Safety Act using virtual private networks (VPNs) since the legislation was implemented in July.”  

Durbridge argues that social media use among young people is already ingrained in their daily lives, stating, “The horse has already bolted on social media use among young people and there are benefits alongside the well-publicised downsides. For example, social media can provide peer support – especially for marginalised or isolated teenagers – creative outlets, and access to educational content and communities.” He points out that a blanket ban would inadvertently eliminate both the useful and harmful aspects of these platforms.

From a digital literacy perspective, he contends that delaying exposure to social media may only make users riskier in their eventual engagement. He explains, “Practically speaking, there would also be enforcement challenges such as age verification without invasive data collection, and children potentially bypassing bans using fake images, VPNs and older friends’ accounts, similar to what we’ve seen with the Online Safety Act.”

However, Durbridge acknowledges the undeniable risks that social media poses, asserting that “there are numerous safeguarding risks associated with exposure to many social media websites and apps that can’t be ignored.” He concludes that the ideal approach lies in educating children on how to safely navigate these platforms and recognise potential dangers, rather than resorting to outright bans.