UK joins countries such as Australia (1st such country), Indonesia, Malaysia, Greece and Turkey in restricting children's access to social media through age-based regulations.
- In India, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have announced plans for such age based restrictions for social media access.
Need of banning social media for children
- Mental Health: Significant time invested in social media can lead to anxiety and depression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder etc.
- Safety: Digital platforms can expose children to cyberbullying, grooming, and Child Sexual Abuse Material, dangerous trend e.g. Blackout Challenge (breath-holding)
- Addiction: algorithmic-based nature of these platforms can lead to digital addiction e.g. Hyper-Personalized Content Filtering by AI to keep user captivated
- Others: lower socializing skills, promotes sedentary behaviour etc.
Concerns
- Ineffectiveness: Due to the use of VPNs and other means to bypass restrictions. Furthermore, such bans may push children toward unregulated, less safe online spaces.
- Infringement of Rights: E.g. UN Convention on Rights of the Child’s Article 12, (recognizes a child's right to be heard in decisions affecting them).
- Democratic engagement: Social media serves as a safe space for children from marginalised communities e.g. LGBTQ etc.
- Others : loss of informal learning, peer interaction, digital literacy esp. in rural areas.
Governments, social media companies, schools, and parents must work together to implement robust age-verification systems, stronger privacy protections, parental controls, digital literacy programs, and stricter regulation of harmful content.
