The Social Media Ban for Under 16 years olds – potentially the most divisive debate I’ve seen since Brexit or the Governments reaction to Covid.

It’s got everyone having an opinion from 80 something year olds that hardly use social media to the young people impacted by the ban … and of course the cranks online that see every single decision as a huge global conspiracy.

My opinion since the social media ban for under 16s in Australia has never wavered – Education Education Education.

But with this closer to home I wanted to wait, listen to a variety of opinions and start asking the right questions.

A CAVEAT BEFORE WE START
Firstly, I’ve worked in social media marketing for nearly 17 years so I have skin in the game.

But for the last 16 years 99.9% of the brands we’ve worked with have been brands marketing towards the middle aged. Not a single one of our clients will be affected by the ban.

Secondly, I’m not a parent. But although I’m not a parent I have taught between 4000-5000 teenagers on Personal Branding and Social Media as part of the NCS programme.

10 Questions That Need Asking About The Social Media Ban For Under 16 Years Olds

What provisions will be there be for youth with 3 extra hours a day?

The average 18 year old will spend 3 hours a day on social media – 1095 hours a year.

The time spent by people younger than that will be even longer.

What will people do with these extra hours a day?

Politicians waxed lyrical about the glory days of youth before social media and I’m old enough to remember that time.

What has been omitted however is that w activities were affordable and the government provided things like youth clubs in many areas.

What has also been omitted is that social media is in part to play with young people being more healthy and not necessarily defaulting to drinking in parks like their parents generation did.

What provision are the government going to provide for a youth that otherwise may find themselves at a loose end and get into trouble on the streets.

Will the social media ban create a loneliness epidemic?

Many people have talked that about social media being the place they keep in touch with friends.

At the age of 13-16 it’s a stressful time with course work taking up many hours and exam stress.

A burst of social media to keep in touch with friends might be the only time someone keeps in touch with the outside world outside of school.

Not every one lives next to their friends these days and many face long commutes to school.

For someone who lives an hour from school or lives in the middle of nowhere removing social media could create a feeling of loneliness and despair.

Also many young people use social media for:

LGBTQ+ support groups
Disability communities
Rare health condition communities
Grief support
Neurodivergent communities

Ask any small charity and they’ll always talk about funding cuts. What happens to young people who rely on online communities for support?

What education plans are in place to stop the post-16 cliff edge into social media

Social Media has been around for 20+ years.

As part of my job I meet graduates who throughout secondary school, college and university still don’t feel they know enough about social media – yet they spend hours every day scrolling on it.

There has not been enough investment in education about social media for 20 years now.

Are there plans alongside the ban that go beyond the odd 20 minutes here and there from teachers who often don’t use social media at all.

What restrictions will be in place on Social Media Platforms in the future?

No ifs. No doubts.

There should be restrictions on social media for young people

The one argument I keep seeing on social media is the Government need to govern and put sanctions on the social media companies rather than the kids.

The platforms have changed and there’s no doubting that the likes of TikTok are more addictive than earlier platforms like Facebook. Children (or adults) should not be spending 3 hours a day on social media unless your job is in social media or you’re using it indepth for learning.

I’m all for

• Curfews
• Time Limits
• Strict enforcement that no adults can contact kids
• More regulation and fines of platforms
• More action on cyber bullying

All of those are preferrable in my opinion to an outright ban on Social Media.

A governments job is to govern and it doesn’t sent a good message to the world if Governments basically put their hands up and say “If they have money, they can do what they want … so we’ll have to go for the normal people without any money”

What support will be given to organisation impacted by the social media ban?

There will be organisations that feel the impact as a result of the social media ban.

• Arts and Cultural Organisations
• Charities and youth organisations
• Grassroots sports clubs
• Community groups

Social media reach is driven by engagement. If a large proportion of that engagement comes from young people, the impact will be felt throughout an organisation.

A grassroots sports club gets less engagement and suddenly sponsors see it as less attractive.

A music venue sees a drop in attendance because new artists are finding it harder to be discovered by younger audiences.

A charity is able to help fewer people because it can no longer reach underserved audiences through social media.

A community organisation struggles to recruit volunteers because it has lost one of its main communication channels with younger people.

All of those are very real scenarios that could play out.

I’m not suggesting commercial interests should come before young people’s wellbeing.

But if the Government believes a ban is necessary, has it fully assessed the wider impact on organisations that engage, support and serve young people?

And if there are consequences, what support will be available to help them adapt?

What happens to creators who have spend year(s) building up an audience?

Let’s just say you’re 14 years old now.

You have a passion for photography or bird watching or fashion.

You set up a social media account at 13.

You’ve built up an audience of 500,000 and you see this as a future career.

This is something that should be encouraged and celebrated by the ban comes in you’ll be under 16 so you won’t be able to continue.

This is destroying people’s dreams.

I’m hoping there is a get around where it can turn into a parents controlled account to cover the gap until 16 – but it will still be hampered as it won’t feel as authentic or real time with someone else managing the account.

Will the social media ban discourage future entrepreneurs?

We’ve always celebrated entrepreneurs and business owners in this country.

Whether that’s older people like Richard Branson and Alan Sugar or younger entrepreneurs like Ben Francis of Gymshark.

This generation of entrepreneurs will be the people who know how to market on TikTok and Instagram.

This is the modern version of someone selling sweets at school or using the playground as their business launch.

We shouldn’t be saying “In my day we’d print out some flyers and walk the streets for 4 hours” – there are more effective ways to build a business these days.

Will this leave UK teenagers at a disadvantage compared with young people in other countries?”

If a 15-year-old in the UK cannot learn content creation, marketing, community building or personal branding, but a 15-year-old elsewhere can, does that create a skills gap?

How will young people learn responsible social media use if they cannot access it until 16?

Many argue than simply banning social media is delaying the same problems and to reiterate

I’m all for

• Curfews
• Time Limits
• Strict enforcement that no adults can contact kids
• More regulation and fines of platforms
• More action on cyber bullying

Having measures in place would get the balance between understanding the world we live in now in, whilst still putting guardrails in place.

I used to be addicted to computer games from about 9 years old until 13 years old. My parents complained, like many now are with social media, and yet I got to about 13 and heard one record (Sit Down by James) and suddenly grew disinterested with computer games and found my new obsession with music.

People find their own responsible usage and regulation with usage.

When I worked in the music industry part of what I did was put on all ages gigs for teenagers in South Manchester. A lot of the band members and audience members at the time were heavy users of social media (Myspace / Facebook) and yet years later in their 30s they hardly use it. In fact they use it less than their parents generation. They self regulated their own usage.

Have the positive aspects of social media actually been considered?

I published a blog 10 Healthy and Productive Uses of Social Media for Young People

Here’s a summary

• Fitness Inspiration & Healthy Habits
• BookTok and a Love of Reading
• Free Educational Content & Revision Help
• Keeping Up with World News and Current Affairs
• Careers Advice and Professional Insights
• Learning Practical Life Skills
• Supporting Charities and Good Causes
• Helping Family Businesses Grow
• Finding Your Tribe Through Niche Interests
• Entertainment, Relaxation and Switching Off

You could argue that young people can’t get these from newspapers, magazines, tv, radio in a format that is interesting to them

Read the full blog here

How will success be measured five years from on from the social media ban?

What evidence is this policy based on?

There are so many conflicting reports on the impact of social media on young people. Some talk of the huge detrimental impact on young people’s mental health. whereas reports many suggest there is little to no impact.

How are we going to know if the social media ban has been the right decision in 5 years time?

Or will we be sat there with a multimillion / billion pound public enquiry similar to Brexit or the reaction to Covid.

We could be sat here in 5 years time and see that it’s been the best decision ever.

Or we could be sat here in 5 years time looking at the unintended impacts of this decision.

But right now we need to know what success looks like and how people will be judging this?

Bonus: Is the social media ban really a political distraction from bigger issues?

Being a young person right now is hard.

Why do so many older people hate people like me because of my race / sexuality / religion?
Will there be a planet for people to live on in years to come?
Should I get into £50,000+ worth of debt to go to university?
Will there be a job when I leave university?
Will I ever be able to afford a home?
Why do things seem so much harder for me than my parents and grandparents generation?

You could argue every single one of the things above causes a lot more anxiety and mental health issues than social media.

So is this ban just a big distraction from the issues that successive governments have not dealt with.

CONCLUSION: The Social Media Ban

The question isn’t whether social media has risks. It clearly does. The real question is whether banning it is more effective than educating young people to use it responsibly.

The platforms have changed and there’s no doubting that the likes of TikTok are more addictive than earlier platforms like Facebook.

I’m all for

• Curfews
• Time Limits
• Strict enforcement that no adults can contact kids
• More regulation and fines of platforms
• More action on cyberbullying and trolling

All of those are preferrable in my opinion to an outright ban on Social Media.

As part of my job I meet graduates who throughout secondary school, college and university still don’t feel they know enough about social media – yet they spend hours every day scrolling on it.

The average 18 year old will spend 3 hours a day on social media – 1095 hours a year.

The time spent by people younger than that will be even longer.

There has not been enough investment in education about social media for 20 years now.

A ban alone will not solve the lack of education problem.

It’s entirely possible to support restrictions and support more education at the same time.

In fact, I’d argue both conversations should be happening together.

So, whilst the ban is being implemented can people keep asking MPs and Schools, how much time they are going to invest in education for 13-16 years old and beyond so they are prepared for the world we live in.

Tony Blair kept saying Education. Education. Education.

Perhaps it’s time we remembered that.

We asked 6 local secondary schools in the Altrincham area for their thoughts on the own social media ban and only one responded.

Graeme Wright – Headteacher at Altrincham Grammar School For Boys

Do you think the social media ban is good / bad ? 
Good

How many hours per school year have you spent educating pupils on social media in recent years?
8

Will education increase or decrease after ban comes in to prepare for the post-16 cliff face of social media? 
In the book, The Anxious Generation – Jonathan Haid links the sharp rise in adolescent anxiety, depression and self-harm to the spread of smartphones and social media.

He argues that under-16s are neurologically more vulnerable to social comparison, seeking validation through likes and comments, and online rejection, exclusion and humiliation.

Social media use among under-16s is linked with sleep deprivation, reduced attention span and consequently lower academic engagement. Social media transforms normal teenage dynamics into constant, public and inescapable performance.

A ban will help rebalance childhood towards face-to-face interaction, physical activity, creativity and unstructured time. In answer to your question, education will increase.

In the world of work where social media is used daily how do we better prepare young people for social media in their careers? 

Begin this educational journey at 16.

NEED HELP WITH SOCIAL MEDIA FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Looking for authentic ways to grow your social media

Chat to us about Social Media Marketing for YOUR organisation , so we can better understand YOU and what will grow your organisation

We can only find out what is unique to your business by chatting with you

Look at our Social Media Training and Social Media Management services

We offer Social Media Training on
* LinkedIn
* Instagram
* Facebook
* TikTok
* Blogging

We can do this
* 121
* Corporate Workshops
* Group Workshops
* Face to Face or Via Zoom

Please call Alex on 07806774279 or email alex@altrinchamhq.co.uk