Local parents and young people express mixed views on social media ban for under-16s
NEWS of the UK Government’s social media ban for under-16s has been met tentatively by young people and parents in Shetland.
Whilst many welcome the benefits of protecting children from harmful content online, there are concerns that it will not be effective, or could potentially create gaps in social interactions amongst teens.
Eva, 15, said that the news of the ban has left her “underwhelmed and disappointed”.
She believes that by at least 15, young people are mature enough to use social media responsibly. However, she agrees that younger children should not be given social media access.
Eva said that she uses social media “quite often”, including Snapchat and TikTok, to keep in contact with friends across Shetland.
The UK Government said the ban will affect platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, but not messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal.
“Social media is widely used to get news, on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, and I feel under 16s wouldn’t be able to understand what is going on around the world, or even in their small communities, because they wouldn’t be able to access it,” she added.
However, 17-year-old Miley Watt takes a different standpoint, describing the social media ban as a “really positive thing for young people”.
“Children are being exposed to violent and inappropriate content on social media at such a young age. It is negatively impacting their mental health and their childhood as a whole,” she said.
She added that social media takes up a large part of her life, meaning that she finds it more difficult to study and focus on school without checking her phone.
“From speaking to my friends, they feel that we would have appreciated an under-16s social media ban.
“Overall, I think that it will benefit children in such a positive way to introduce social media at a later age.”
After the news of the incoming ban broke on Monday morning, the responsibility of parents and tech companies has also been brought to the forefront of discussion.
Charlotte Duncan, 20, is a young mother who has grown up with social media and now thinks to the future of how it may affect her children.
“I don’t think the ban necessarily changes how I feel about my children being on social media,” she said.
“I won’t let them have any public accounts before high school due to safety reasons and wanting to protect them until they are at an age that they can figure it out for themselves.
“I do think that having some social media for over 13s is good, it’s how teenagers socialise with their peers and connect with family.
“What does scare me is cyber bullying and potentially sharing the wrong thing online, as that is out there forever.”
She said that she had online accounts set up with fake dates of birth that were never questioned when she was as young as 11, so wonders how effective the ban will be.
“From a parental perspective I think the internet is a dangerous place and there should be better safety rules on these kinds of platforms but banning it for under 16s isn’t going to stop kids finding a way to do what they want.
“If anything, kids are going to rebel and feel discriminated against across social media platforms.”
Instead, the focus should be placed on digital literacy.
“I think parents should be educating children how to be safe online, as a ban realistically isn’t going to keep all young people off social media,” Duncan added.
“It’s important for kids to be taught how to use these apps safely.”
Another parent, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she had mixed feelings on the ban.
“Keeping [their children’s] innocence and safety online for as long as possible is a good thing – and it would cut down on cyber bullying,” they said.
“But I think for some people, social media has been a really good thing.”
A parent to a 15-year-old and a 10-year-old, they say that social media has allowed their teen to meet children from other schools after initially struggling to make friends.
“If [they] didn’t have Snapchat, or it got banned for that age group it wouldn’t be good. My child is now starting to be more social and happier.
“Finding a few friends has been a turnaround for [their] mental health.”
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