A UK social media ban “the wrong tool for the job” say experts

Academics from the University of East Anglia have warned of the risks of a ban on under 16s using social media, following the announcement today of a government consultation on introducing one in the UK.

They say a ban is "the wrong tool for the job" and it could encourage young people to engage in risky behaviour in the name of 'safety'. It also doesn't hold platforms accountable, while the benefits social media can have, particularly for isolated and marginalised children, are "barely mentioned", and the results of the ban in Australia have yet to be seen, they add.

Dr Harry Dyer is Associate Professor in Education at the School of Education and Lifelong Learning at UEA. His areas of expertise include social media and learning, social media, youth and digital technology, and identity online.

Dr Dyer said: "We absolutely need stronger protections for young people online, but banning social media for under16s is the wrong tool for the job, and it doesn't do a good job of holding platforms accountable.

"Instead of tackling harmful content or holding platforms accountable for safety, a ban lets companies step back and say 'not our problem'. It removes their responsibility to design safer systems for the young people who absolutely will continue trying to access them, even with a ban in place, and exposes young people to more danger."

He added: "A ban won't stop teenagers using social media, it just pushes them into riskier behaviour. They'll turn to VPNs, fake accounts, and unregulated corners of the internet where there are fewer safeguards, not more. We end up driving them away into more dangerous practices, and in turn make them worried about telling people about what they're doing online.

"Meanwhile, platforms have even less incentive to make their environments age-appropriate, because the law has effectively told them that children aren't supposed to be there anyway. It incentivises an abdication of responsibility by platform rather than mandating closer protection of young people who will be on their platforms regardless of a ban.

"It's similar to what happens when you push any widespread behaviour underground in that you don't eliminate the practice, but you instead eliminate the safety nets and encourage riskier behaviour.

"Educators become afraid to talk about the topics for fear of encouraging illegal behaviour, young people engage in riskier behaviour without people to talk to. Research around sex education shows clearly that when you withhold information or access, young people don't stop being curious.

"Instead, they lose the tools to navigate that curiosity safely. The same is true here, and we risk encouraging young people to engage in risky behaviour in the name of 'safety'."

Dr Simon Hammond, also an Associate Professor in Education at UEA, researches young people's mental health, children's digital resilience and use of technology.

"In the absence of evidence anxiety is amplified. Making decisions based on anxiety and not evidence is never a good idea. A ban pushes open and supportive conversations with trusted adults - one of the few things we know helps mitigate online risks from being harms - underground," he said.

Prof Paul Bernal is Professor of Information Technology Law at UEA's Law School. His areas of expertise include the internet and human rights, social networking and online identity, online privacy laws and social media.

He has previously written about why banning children from social media is a bad idea, and commenting on today's announcement Prof Bernal said:

"The government has announced a consultation into whether to ban under 16s from social media, triggered primarily by a similar Australian ban, despite the fact that the results of that ban have yet to be seen, and pushed by the desire for a 'magic wand' solution to complex issues.

"One key aspect has been conspicuous by its absence from the debate - the very positive role that social media plays for many children, and for isolated and marginalised kids in particular. The downsides are discussed at length, the upsides barely mentioned, despite the fact that for most kids, most of the time, social media is a very good thing."

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