Today’s Social Media Ban Announcement: Discussion

[ByeByeTikTok]

I haven’t seen a thread for today’s expected ban on social media for Under 16s so thought I’d start one. If there already is one pls link and I’ll get this deleted.

What will it likely include?
What won’t it include?
How do you and your kids feel about it, especially if they’re already using it?
Will you follow it, and when?
Will people try to get round it?

And you are not fussy about having the government monitor your own internet usage?

I don’t think WhatsApp comes under the scope of the ban so hopefully he can still keep in touch with friends?

They're hugely inaccurate. My phone recently refused to believe I was over 16 and BELIEVE ME I really fucking am! 😂

That is so sad 😪

This is exactly what I will do. But then my child uses her phone sensibly and I can trust her 🤷‍♀️

Thankfully she has little interest in SM because it’s not a novelty to her - and this is where the issues are going to crop up with others that are not allowed to have any access.

Eh? My post was about how my children will feel about the ban. I didn’t mention my own feelings.

Fark

I am a bit concerned about restrictions for 17 and 16 year olds. It is not clear from news reports but I heard they will be restricting their access too. Seems too controlling for that age group. I can see a future where they start controlling adult use too.

They’ll still have screens - it’s not impossible to get round this ID verification- an adult will just have to do it. Parents who don’t parent will happily do this.

As a teacher, I'm thrilled. From Y4/5, we have parents calling up, emailing, kicking off at parents' evening about the bulling that takes place on Snapchat etc and expect us to deal with it. Also, bad language/inappropriate games which parents just roll their eyes at and blame TikTok for.

Being able to turn around and say, "It's ILLEGAL for your 10 year old to have access to those apps." will hopefully force them to start taking some responsibility for it.

My 13 year old has no access to social media and also no desire to have any access. She’s never once asked to have it. If she did, I would have let her have it as she’s also very sensible. So I don’t think it’s a massive ‘novelty’ to her TBH, she’s just not interested.

But if, as pp suggest, parents could log on and hand the phone to their children, then it wouldn’t stop this. This could only be stopped if the government started regularly scanning your face whilst monitoring your usage as an ADULT.

Exactly this.

Growing up, one of my friends wasn't allowed sweets and she used to lose her mind and stuff her face on them when she had the opportunity at friends' houses. And later would sneak them into her home and eat them in bed at night. The rest of us liked sweets too but we weren't sneaking from our secret stashes at midnight and then not telling our parents why we had a stomach ache.

Same will be the case for social media. The kids who don't have access will sneak access (or come to it at 18) and have no clue how to navigate it sensibly and will have nobody to talk to them (yes, PARENT them) through the bumps of social media.

I think it is a pretty accurate and balanced view of it. As a parent to 4 & 8 year olds I am pleased about it as it should be easier for me to push back.

Most parents in DC's school are very keen to keep kids away from social media but were worried they were fighting a losing battle. Hopefully this helps us all!

Which is why I am asking you about how you would feel having all your internet usage monitored by government as that is what is actually being proposed here.

There's no gaming ban so they'll still be on games, and on the new apps that pop up to replace the banned ones.

I felt quite emotional when I heard KS making the announcement. It felt like a weight being lifted and sense has prevailed. These companies have been mining all our lives for profit for too long, and shaping and moulding the world of our kids - well no more!

Yes some teens will get around it- they always will. I’m sure kids used to undo their seat belts when that was first banned. But a generation of younger kids who have not yet been exposed are now protected. Not having social media will be normalised. I’m really pleased.

There are definitely tensions about privacy and the reach of state control. But on this one, if it’s between children’s mind and brain being controlled by companies who want to addict them and mine them for data - or less privacy - I will accept it.

It probably is poorly thought out. But something has to be done to try and change what is happening and I am absolutely delighted today.

I am really happy with the ban, and I definitely think it is a step in the right direction.

i know parents who have been very hopeful of the ban, as once it is illegal, it will make it easier for them to take it off their child. Yes they should be able to Just say no, but they struggle to do so, this will hopefully help them.

There will always be children and parents who work around the ban and still facilitate their children using it, but if it saves a large amount of children from using it, then I think it’s worth it. If it also encourages parents to look into the damage social media is actually doing to our children, that is also a benefit.

Parents who DO parent will happily do this too. I am a very, very involved parent. I know exactly what social media my kids have and what they do on it. A lot of it is really fun and joyful, by the way! There's a lot of great stuff on the internet and opening up the world is often very enriching. But anyway I decide what my kids have access to, not the government, so I wont' hesitate to bypass any controls. As a result my kids will continue to have open dialogue with me about the less joyful parts of social media and I'll be able to help guide and parent them through those too.

Yeah it really fucks me off when I hear the whole “these Silicone Valley Tech Company CEOs don’t let their kids near social media” statements. And yet we see stupid enough to let them make billions off the back of ours.

We have always been at war with eurasia.

@BrookStreamRiverlet hopefully it will make parents think more (or some parents anyway). We were lucky that when DS was little phone/social media usage was not like it is today, so he was very much the generation being entertained by colouring books, sticker books, card games etc when out and about. Hopefully, this will again become more of the norm for many families. Of course there will be families who will carry on as they are, and others who will circumvent the ban or happily watch their teens circumvent the ban, but hopefully the shift may go towards less use of social media.

Local colleges are in the process of banning phones during school hours (in lockable pouches) They are planning to get card games and other resources so pupils can have things to interact with their peers. Colleges who have already been down this road have found most students easily adapt

Sorry - I meant games they play in the playground/classroom that are off the back of TikTok trends - not digital games.

I think everyone should have to upload ID to hold SM accounts. Online behaviour would definitely improve if people knew they can be identified and children won’t be able to just open a new account with a made up DOB. It would also be much easier to control and limit access/viewing content depending on actual age.