AIBU to think banning social media for under-16s is a good idea?

I’m staggered this isn’t happening already and that you’d prefer to throw vulnerable children under the bus to protect adults!

No, I think you should read up on what’s being proposed because this isn’t anything to do with it.

It’s concerning under 16s accessing social media content, not family photos including under 16s.

I lived on MSN messenger at 15/16! 😍 I remember the little butterfly fluttering as it loaded.
I did get chatting to some random boy on there though who seemed abit dodgy- my mum looked through my messages behind my back and I was mortified, although now as a parent i'd do the same for my kids if I had to.

i think it's a good idea. i'd also support banning smart phones in schools. and i'd like schools to backtrack on the massive, aggressive expansion of iPads in classes too - we all talk about screen time concerns, but my daughter's school is the one teaching PE from YouTube, music lessons from YouTube, they've even had drawing lessons on YouTube - it's gone completely over the top. when i asked the school what apps my 5 year old had been signed up to exactly, i got a list of 11 they could confirm.. but she's mentioned 3 more on top! Including using AI tools to generate images during class time! This is in the Scottish Borders Council area.

This seems to be "normal" in the council schools where I am, but I'm appalled at what's happening. I'm not from here originally. my local council has brushed off concerns from a number of parents that i've heard have complained, now i've started to pay more attention to what's happening.

THAT is an equally big problem to tackle alongside the problems with kids being glued to their smartphones and bullied on social media. if i can't control what's happening during school hours, what chance have parents got outside of that??

Just a thought, would this mean mea. Having a family photo of your children would be illegal under the new laws?

This will not stop VB putting her daughter into the media spotlight via SM.

Why are so many people clueless about what is being proposed?

You are missing the point.

None of those restrictions make it necessary for UK adults to subsribe to digital ID and to share this ID with any social media platform they want to access.

The reason for the backlash is because this is about Digital ID through the back door using child 'mental health' as an excuse to push it through.

I agree, adding Social Media to the list sounds fairly innocuous, but it's the impact on other users that concerns me.

Any adult who wishes to continue to access SM on the restricted list, will have to do an age check that will include personal information that identifies you, and according to the AI and Technology minister may include having to share your passport details.

Are you prepared to share this data with companies that have repeatedly been fined hundreds of millions of pounds for breaches to personal data protection legislation?

Can’t really see kids being interested in the things people talk about here.

But they could learn that adults also have problems, some adults are less mature than themselves, and how to make one chicken feed a family for a week.

I would not.

My teens ( now early 20s) have/had active social lives and I think smart phones were very useful.

We had large reductions in bus ticket prices if you use the app. And as theyhad to get a couple of buses each way, that was very handy. They used their phones to open lockers at karate class and at swimming at the gym. Maps and transport apps to get around - especially when stuff changes , cancelled trains etc. Tickets for just about anything, paying for stuff, loyalty discounts, booking a haircut, so much easier using an app.

No social media does not mean no smart phone.

If that were possible it would happen now, there’s plenty of filters available and most social media is supposed to be 13+ and younger kids are still accessing inappropriate content.

I think a lot of adults even don’t understand how algorithms work and how quickly on social media you can end up being fed some very dark stuff without actually trying.

Then internet could be managed by parents in the home with appropriate filters and school etc

I personally would be focussed on only allowing under 16s to have a very basic phone that couldn’t link to the internet.

Some kids will smoke & drink alcohol when though they shouldn’t too, but we will have laws in place because it’s the right thing to do.

The state has lots of laws around the appropriate age for all kinds of things, age restrictions on films, alcohol, gambling, driving, voting, smoking - this is no different.

Newsnight (15.6.2026, 7' 10'') AI and Online Safety Minister (Kanishka Narayan) has confirmed you may have to use your Passport to access Social Media.

What could possibly go wrong?

Yep. Data is hugely valuable these days. The gov / state getting hold of it is no exception.

Lol if only it was the government dealing with data. The whole uprising on digital ID was due to data gathering and handling being thrown open to the lowest bidder... and most of those in the race had severely breached.

Anyhow... my 2 (now uni) ran with their "Nerd Herd" of techies. Their playground value/popularity would be through the roof.

Watch out for the little-geek takeover.

So what regulations should be imposed on them to protect children (in the same way that other industries have regulations to protect children)?

I don’t think they should get a free pass.

Do you not think that it is the government's job to impose a duty to act responsibly on social media companies? They do it on plenty of other industry sectors: food, alcohol, tobacco, tools (sharps and glue), films and DVDs (age rating). Why do you think social media companies should get a free pass?

I just think this is about responsible parenting and the state should stay out.

I feel this is more of an agenda re gleaning more information on adult individuals as it will be impossible to enforce and a waste of time.

Some will find workarounds, some will have parents who enable them to set up accounts with fake ages (as they do on TikTok now). So what? Lots of people drop litter, should we abandon litter laws simply because not everyone abides by them.