Banning social media for under 16s could create more problems than it solves

Millions of parents up and down the country are deeply concerned about the deluge of harmful content their children are exposed to on social media, and the addictive design of the platforms that lure them in.

They’re right to be angry, and some families have suffered terrible consequences.

That’s why, as Full Fact has long argued, it’s well past time for a major reset in our relationship with the big tech companies that control so much of our online world.

But there’s now growing pressure on the UK government to follow the Australian example and ban social media for under-16s completely.

The House of Lords has voted in favour, and more than 60 Labour MPs have expressed their support.

We understand why the debate has reached this point, but we don’t think a reactive ban is the right way forward.

Banning big social media sites could push young people to even more dangerous corners of the internet, or toward AI chatbots which wouldn’t be banned.

Children need the right skills and information to make informed choices, and that requires access to platforms used by adults to find information and form opinions. We know that a large percentage of young people get their news from social media. A ban of this kind could well inhibit the ability for those 16 and 17-year old voters to make these decisions when they have the opportunity to vote for the first time at the next General Election.

The regulation of information is a really difficult thing to get right, and finding the right balance between protecting freedom of expression and protecting people from harm online isn’t easy.

But it’s clear that way too many of these big decisions have been subcontracted to the big tech companies themselves - allowing them to self-regulate in ways which aren’t in the best interests of our society.

So yes, we need a radical change - and decisions made by our elected representatives. But better regulation and an outright ban are not the same thing.

Our concern is that a ban could become a reason to avoid decisions on regulating big tech, or on embedding more effective media literacy and critical thinking in our education system.

It’s essential that the government’s upcoming consultation on children’s social media use assesses how UK regulation could be improved to tackle harmful misinformation, and to make sure critical thinking skills are embedded throughout the curriculum.

But banning social media could create more problems than it solves.

“Something must be done” is not always the best thing to do.