Keeping children and young people safe online
The Government's decision to ban social media for under-16s will undoubtedly shape the lives of millions of young people, but the debate is asking the wrong question. As the world quickly evolves, social media and digital devices play an increasingly important and ever-present role for us all. We agree with the parents and carers who would support the call for a ban that children and young people's safety is paramount. Their exposure to harm must be reduced, whilst the benefits of their online lives’ are maximised.
Considering the debate
This debate has intensified with the Government’s consultation on ‘growing up in a digital world’ – a crucial moment for action to be taken. At The Children’s Society, we have taken time to reflect and engage directly with young people – the very people who will be impacted by changes, and whose voices are too often left out of debate. This issue is complex, and its importance is so great that getting it right is essential. Decisions should be driven by the real-world impact on young people’s lives, and not by generating media headlines.
To ban or not to ban, is not the question
To ban or not to ban, is not the question
Much public debate has centred on whether social media should be banned for under-16s. This is masking the real opportunity for change. It is also missing everyone’s common ground. We all want to see real, tangible changes to improve young people’s experience online.
By fixating on a ban as a desirable outcome, rather than a more practical approach, the debate has ignored realities for young people, including learning from other countries.
The reality is that a ban could be bypassed
To ban social media for under-16s would require a strict line of what to ban and what not to ban, in a tech industry which is currently moving far faster than regulation.
A ban would risk letting tech companies off the hook. Rather than be forced to make their platforms safer, some of their responsibilities could be waived, with a too short response: “well under 16’s shouldn’t be on it.”
Young people shared with us the potential unintended consequences of a ban, including the likelihood they’d seek out alternative, unregulated spaces. They have concerns that it would be harder to reach out for support for anything inappropriate experienced or seen online out of fear that the response would be “you shouldn’t be on it.”
We shouldn’t ban it, we should make it safer.
A balancing act
The current status quo isn’t good enough – too many young people are exposed to content that is harmful, too many are experiencing design features that drive unhealthy or addictive behaviours.
But social media isn’t universally “bad.” Young people see their experience on social media with nuance.
There are benefits to being online, like connecting with people, finding community and belonging, and exploring hobbies and interests.
Young people are telling us:
I need social media, it helps me connect with people, or I would get really lonely.
“I learn a lot and I can express my creativity.”
Young people’s lives are also intertwined. For them there is no separated “online world” and “offline world.
Our recommendations
Our recommendations
Young people need better protection online; more effective measures. But they need actual change – not simply the illusion of protection. So, what needs to happen?
- Strengthen the Online Safety Act regulation to:
- Replace a ‘report-remove’ culture with a zero tolerance for harmful content on social media platforms. Young people shouldn’t “come across” content that is dangerous or harmful, such as extreme violence, in their feeds. This also shouldn’t be there for anyone – adults or children.
- Implement a ‘safety by design’ approach as a mandatory default for all platforms. Putting an end to addictive features, and features which greatly increase the risk of harm for users. This is about placing young people in power over the algorithm, letting an algorithm work for them rather than for the profit of social media companies.
Social media ban
- Enhance platforms to empower young people to self-regulate screen-time. Young people want to be in control; they want to explore and set their own boundaries as they go through adolescence. Digital devices auto-installing effective self-regulation time limit functions can enable young people to set their own boundaries. This can bring about positive time-use changes defined by young people, and result in actual behavioural change that is driven by those impacted.
- Strengthen digital literacy and education. Banning social media for under-16s wouldn’t be like repeating the smoking ban. For one, there are benefits to social media despite its risks. And young people are in their formative years: access to the digital world and social media is so ingrained in adult life, so how can young people enter this world without knowing how to navigate it?
- Invest in young people’s infrastructure. Young people are being shut out from spaces which support their sense of belonging, jeopardising the support they need throughout teenhood. The vast decline in services and spaces for young people in the community over the last decade is leaving young people with nowhere to go. There needs urgent investment in community-based provision for young people. This should be funded by a combination of Government funding and by financial penalties on tech platforms for failing to comply with regulation. As digital childhood has grown, opportunities for play-based childhood have diminished. Protecting children means not only addressing online harms, but actively investing in the spaces, activities and relationships that help young people flourish offline.
