Post #3324859

2026-06-15 08:35 UTC

A blanket ban on social media for under-16s is the wrong choice. It's not working in Australia, and it won't work in the UK. Social media harms don't magically stop affecting people as they get older. Bans are also rarely difficult to circumvent. So by failing to ask the social media companies to bear any cost - cleaning up their act, making them legally responsible for content they actively recommend and promote through their content algorithms - Starmer has failed to tackle the problem.

Replies (6)

@JubalBarca@scholar.social 2026-06-15 08:36

But also, for child protection, this is a double-edged sword. Yes, social media exposes some children to things they should never see, but it also exposes children who've been brought up in terrible situations to the possibility that what they're facing is wrong and an alternative world exists. Britain has for decades been obsessed with the danger of strangers, but statistically it has always been the case that more children are under threat from members of their immediate family and community.

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@JubalBarca@scholar.social 2026-06-15 10:50

@nuwagaba2@mastodon.social I think a lot of its advocates earnestly believe that it's about protecting children: I think the growing awareness of social media related harms is genuinely the most important driver behind the government deciding they need to do something. But a bad solution won't help: it's taking an approach which isn't based on the evidence, and won't work, and some people definitely cynically know that but think this is a better public relations exercise than doing something more effective.

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@liseo@kuupiaq.social 2026-06-15 09:06

@FreakyFwoof@universeodon.com @JubalBarca@scholar.social i actualy don't no what will tackle the problem, ban the content and it gos underground ban the people and they lie or cheet to gain acceess to all of the content on the plantform. its a nice idea in thery the practice is circomventable

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@JubalBarca@scholar.social 2026-06-15 09:12

@temptoetiam@eldritch.cafe In general the Australian ban is just failing on a technical level. Per ABC (link below), the effective implementation rate is that it's blocking under a third of under-16s. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-14/why-teens-say-social-media-ban-isnt-working-for-under-16s/106780590

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@JubalBarca@scholar.social 2026-06-15 10:51

@kneoghau@mastodon.social Sadly I doubt this will change anything about the government's relationship with particular social media sites. And yes, it's a miserable situation all round.

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@LeonianUniverse@leonianplace.masto.host 2026-06-15 10:58

@JubalBarca@scholar.social I personally believe it is the parent's responsibility to monitor what children are accessing and it shouldn't be on companies or the government to protect children. Parents give their children access by giving them these devices, they should also be aware what is going on until a child is old enough to understand or an adult so that they can know what they are getting themselves in to before they do. I'm not a parent nor do I ever intend on being a parent.

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