The UK Government announced a ban on social media for under 16s earlier this week. But what do young people think of this? Ella Quinn MSYP shares her views on why a social media ban means young people are shouldering the blame for online harms.
Just a couple of weeks ago 82% of members in the Scottish Youth Parliament voted to oppose the proposed social media ban. This shows that the majority of Scottish young people don’t believe a ban is the way to tackle the dangers of social media.
Social media is integrated into young people’s daily lives. Growing up, I’ve seen how it has strengthened my friendships, built communities and helped me to create positive change. Don’t get me wrong; social media isn’t all positive. But it’s not all negative either.
We have seen in Australia, where a social media ban for under 16s is already in place, that young people find ways around it, which can lead to them accessing less regulated spaces online. In our research, 81% of young people agreed that a ban will push young people into more risky ways of accessing social media. Most young people we spoke to disagree that a ban is the most effective way of making social media safe.
Rather than holding tech companies to account, the responsibility falls on young people. One young person told us: “Restricting it now feels more like a punishment rather than safety.”
We are living in a world that is letting young people down. Youth groups are closing. Libraries are closing. Small businesses are disappearing. Even the job market is failing young people.
So my question is this: If young people are already losing so many places to connect, learn and socialise, why are we insisting on taking away another? And when are we going to listen to young people when they say this just won’t work?
Read SYP’s response to the social media ban, Shouldering the Blame.