No posting for old men?
On the gaps in the discussion around social media regulation
The momentum behind social media bans for young people is growing. Greece is set to introduce a prohibition on under-15s next year, while similar measures are working their way through other European legislatures. Here, the Conservatives have thrown their weight behind one, but the government has so far resisted pushes from the Lords to include one in current legislation. It certainly feels like the trajectory is towards some sort of prohibition.
Personally, I remain unconvinced. Bans are complex and blunt pieces of legislation. There are difficulties in deciding what counts as “social media” and where an age limit sits alongside other questions of competence and responsibility. There is limited evidence that bans address broader issues, particularly given the causal links between social media and poor outcomes in childhood. The idea has swept through the political system because it is emotive and popular, and has dodged a lot of proper scrutiny.
There is another reason for caution, however. Imposing an age limit feels like the sort of big-bang legislation that makes the government feel like it’s tackled the problem. It avoids discussion of the broader harms of social media at the individual and social levels. Indeed, it potentially mitigates against a broader examination of the role, responsibilities and duties of platforms by removing children from them. It safeguards the children, but endangers the rest of us.
