What's so wrong with a social media ban?
This article was written by one of our Young Reporters, a scheme that gives 14 to 18-year-old school students a chance to write for a real newspaper. Find out more at the Young Reporter website.
Discussions are happening in the Houses of Parliament at the moment-and the country is listening. Questions are being asked about social media and its effect on the younger generations- should they have access to social media?
Following Australia’s controversial ban on social media for under sixteens, the UK is beginning to consider following suit by having the nation’s teens go cold turkey- which might sound perfect to some- in theory.
However, there are many important issues with this.
For example, social media is highly addictive- especially for a young, impressionable mind- and it is well known that cutting off the addiction all of a sudden almost never works.
Teens also get a large amount of information and education online, as it is a safe space for people to connect, share opinions, and often debate in peace, and it can be really informative on different sides of life- as long as research is done alongside it.
Often, social media can be an escape from reality for young people living more difficult lives, allowing them to express themselves and find communities with similar interests as them, allowing them to learn about who they really are.
Many people also discuss that a lack of third spaces for young people to go and relax in can contribute to the fact that so many young people spend so long on their phones.
Think about it, living in the eighties without social media was easy, because it was unknown of and nobody relied on it for a social life- now, the reality for many young people is that half of their lives are on social media.
Especially since COVID, many young people have felt as though they have nowhere to go and spend time with their friends that doesn't cost money, and they also often find that the only places available feel unwelcoming, so eventually turn to online communities for much of their socialising.
Taking away these spaces could be catastrophic, especially at the beginning, as so many young people using social media as an escape would be completely cut off- which could be detrimental to their mental health.
While it is true that social media can often be dangerous for teens due to inappropriate and violent content, unsteady algorithms, it is not the fault of the young people on the app that they are being exposed to these issues early on.
Many people believe that the root cause of this is the big social media companies who can accept millions of users being kicked off before accepting that the way their apps operate is dangerous and needs to change for the better.
All in all, keeping under sixteens off of social media could be detrimental to the mental health and social lives of teens.
Many agree that if a ban were to be put in place, it should be for under-thirteen, as this is what many apps should already be limited to, but this is not enforced.
