The evidence from Australia is clear, says Dr Reuben Kirkham, Director of the Free Speech Union of Australia: Sir Keir Starmer's social media 'ban' is doomed to fail. And it targets the wrong things anyway.
The post Keir Starmer’s Doomed Social Media ‘Ban’ appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Activists say blanket ban could prevent teenagers from finding peers and role models with similar conditions
Disability activists have said banning under-16s from social media risks cutting off a “lifeline for friendship” for disabled children and could push them into social isolation by preventing them from making connections online.
Charities and high-profile figures in disability advocacy said they were concerned that a blanket ban on social media would disproportionately affect teenagers who may not be able to meet people easily in real life or find peers with similar conditions.
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© Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian
© Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian
© Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian
State’s attorney general alleges TikTok exposed children to harmful sexual content and addictive features
Florida became the latest state to sue TikTok on Monday after the attorney general accused the company of violating a state law that limits social media access for teenagers.
In a press conference, Republican James Uthmeier said TikTok exposed children to harmful sexual content and addictive features, such as unlimited scrolling and push notifications. “It’s designed to keep kids stuck on those screens for hours,” Uthemeier said at a press conference. “Our evidence suggests that so many kids are on TikTok for upwards of six, seven, eight or more hours a day. We are going to get our kids their lives back.”
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© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images
© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images
© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images
No 10 is worried about retaliation from White House over restrictions on under-16s’ internet use
Ministers have embarked on a concerted lobbying operation to prevent a backlash from the Trump administration to the under-16s social media ban announced by Keir Starmer.
Officials said they had spent weeks trying to reassure senior Trump officials and the US president himself that the restrictions were not specifically aimed at US technology companies.
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© Photograph: Chris J Ratcliffe/Reuters
© Photograph: Chris J Ratcliffe/Reuters
© Photograph: Chris J Ratcliffe/Reuters
Some feel it is a concrete step to protect children, but others argue it is ‘trying to fix the symptoms and not the disease’
The UK government has announced a social media ban for under-16s, which it says is expected to come into force next spring.
Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, X and Facebook will all be blocked. It will also ban under-16 access for “user-to-user platforms” that enable social interaction between users and allow them to post material.
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© Photograph: Dean Lewins/AP
© Photograph: Dean Lewins/AP
© Photograph: Dean Lewins/AP
Liz Kendall also wants Ofcom to report to parliament every year on how effectively social media firms are keeping under-16s off their platforms
Starmer acknowledges some teenagers will get round these restrictons. But that does not make the rules pointless, he says.
Will it mean that no child ever looks at social media again? No.
But look, this might shock you, but it doesn’t shock parents of teenagers; they get around other laws too.
Some technology companies want us to think that social media is unchangeable, part of an almost natural order.
But we have to resist that kind of learned helplessness. We have agency, we can change it, and we will.
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© Photograph: PRU/AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: PRU/AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: PRU/AFP/Getty Images
UK prime minister says move will bring ‘real change for our children’ amid growing concerns over harmful online content
Access to social media will be banned in the UK for users under 16, Keir Starmer has announced, in what he described as “real change for our children and our future”.
“Social media is making children unhappy, it’s making it easier for bullies to harass and abuse them, and it could even be harming their mental health,” he said, setting out plans briefed over the weekend, which will go further than a pioneering ban in Australia.
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© Photograph: Jaimi Joy/EPA
© Photograph: Jaimi Joy/EPA
© Photograph: Jaimi Joy/EPA
Government wants to back parents against tech companies though some feel the process has been rushed
Keir Starmer is expected to announce sweeping “Australia-plus” restrictions on under-16s accessing harmful social media apps, a move the government has framed as taking the side of parents against the big technology companies.
A consultation on online safety closed on 26 May, giving ministers just weeks to come up with policies after receiving more than 116,000 responses. Industry sources and child safety advocates have described the process as “rushed” and driven by a political timeline. It is not clear when the ban could come into force.
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© Photograph: Daniel de la Hoz/Getty Images
© Photograph: Daniel de la Hoz/Getty Images
© Photograph: Daniel de la Hoz/Getty Images
Sources say hardline measures will also prevent young users from being able to talk to strangers on gaming apps
Keir Starmer is to ban under-16s from major social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram and X in sweeping restrictions described as “Australia plus”, the Guardian understands.
In a major policy shift far tougher than previously briefed, the prime minister will announce that teenagers will be banned from all the main social platforms. Online products that are not covered by the ban – such as gaming apps – will face new restrictions such as having the option to chat to strangers removed.
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© Photograph: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images
© Photograph: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images
© Photograph: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images
New safety measures had little effect so far, study finds, with Starmer expected to announce under-16s ban
Nearly half of girls and a third of all teenagers saw suicide, self-harm and eating disorder content on social media in a week, a study shows.
The Molly Rose Foundation (MRF) research found that 47% of girls aged 13 to 17 encountered high-risk content during a seven-day period.
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© Photograph: Hollandse Hoogte/Shutterstock
© Photograph: Hollandse Hoogte/Shutterstock
© Photograph: Hollandse Hoogte/Shutterstock
Measures to include restrictions on ‘safe’ social media apps, with some fearing banning some platforms and not others will lead to legal challenges
Teenagers under the age of 16 are to be banned from accessing “high-risk” social media apps while safer platforms will be subjected to restrictions, under a sweeping government crackdown.
Under-18s will also be banned from using romantic or sexual AI chatbots after a consultation on keeping children safe online.
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© Photograph: David Parry/PA
© Photograph: David Parry/PA
© Photograph: David Parry/PA
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