Like most people, I agree with many of the arguments about the dangers of social media for young people. Online addiction makes everyone less happy and less healthy. It exposes all of us to unreliable narratives, distressing content and can make us vulnerable to intrusive and dangerous contacts. While I can understand the focus on young people, adults are far from immune.
Is a ban the right approach to tackling these problems? Only time will tell. I think we need substantive, verified information about the measures taken by other countries (especially Australia), and about their impact on young people.
Harmful content is not limited to social media platforms – far from it. Young people can still access inappropriate material through websites, online forums, messaging apps, and video-sharing sites. A social media ban could possibly shift their online activity elsewhere rather than eliminating the risks altogether.
We need to also deal with the root causes of the problems: screen addiction, misinformation, and cyberbullying are better addressed with (a) improved digital literacy and (b) making the tech companies manage their platforms responsibly.
None of this is the fault of the children and young people involved. They are victims of the tech companies’ drive for profit.
Social media can be amazing. We need the good things that, responsibly managed, can offer: secure communication with friends and families, joining supportive communities, developing creativity, and being accurately and reliably informed about current events and the world around us.
So, while I welcome the government looking at this, we need to be careful what we do and how we do it.
