AIBU to think the social media ban will be impossible to enforce?

[Viviennemary]

I'm not totally against this ban on social media for under 16's. but I don't see how it can be enforced. It's on BBC news now. One boy spent 14 hours a day. Another girl 9 hours. Crazy.

My teenagers dont have social media. It was a deal about getting a phone. We have family link, so its all connected to my mobile. They cannot download apps without my permission and password. They have set limits on how long they can use the mobile for and what times it turns on and off etc etc.

When they've asked, mainly the eldest, can she have a certain app because her friends have it, ive said .... no. There was no repeated asking because id just put more restrictions on her phone.

Now shes 15, she can actually see from others experiences, that the social media ban her parent gave her was for all the right reasons. Shes aware of bullying and other things that can happen on social media. And yeah, I was probably the worst most embarrassing parent she could of had at the time but I am not here to be her mate.

I didnt need the government to tell me this. I shouldn't now have to prove my identity to use social media because parents cant say no to their children.

I have a 9YO without a phone in year 4, year 5 in Sept and I think majority will be given one. I’ve said for the past 2 years it won’t be happening.
I find it insane people find it normal handing it over in year 3, we also had year 2 given a sim free phone to go on TikTok and YouTube makws
me
feel unwell.

Whether it is police able or not is kind of a moot point imo.

A huge amount of damage has been done to our kids via SM, good parents and bad parents both included.

It sends the signal that it can and often is toxic, and even if the ban is less than ideal in its implementation, it sends the right message. So I’m in favour.

Although I’ll caveat that by saying much of the educational content on YT is brilliant, positive, has no downsides and is a valuable learning tool, so I hope these can still remain accessible.

Maybe parents might like to have a go at parenting?

Watch the Emma Willis documentary about social media and teenagers - it's shocking. Kids commiting suicide, the bullying etc... its awful.

Even the good kids can absorb these messages or get bullied. There are too many lazy cunt parents who can't be fucked to check their little twinkles phone to see they're bullying other kids.

The point is that it shifts social norms. So will it make much difference to a 15yo now? Possibly not, although the age verification will introduce some friction and break up the dopamine hit.

It's really for kids who are 7,8,9 now. They will know it is banned. It will shift social norms around parents letting them on to platforms. They will hear that message everywhere. It will be considered poor parenting. Schools will reinforce it consistently.

I also hope it cuts down kidfluencers. The end of 8yos being explored to sell skincare to other 8yos can't come soon enough.

The most important thing is kids say they want it, young adults say they wish they hadn't been allowed it. We should listen to them.

Is TwiX especially targeted at a younger demographic? Oh well, if X is banned and a virtually identical platform isn't, the kids won't have to worry too much.

We can only go on what the government have deigned to tell us. Is Bluesky banned in Australia? That's what the UK government seems to be basing their plans on.

As they've decided to classify YouTube as social media, for all we know, they could nominate anything and ban it - BBC Bitesize too, I guess, if they so decided.

I agree with @photobot.Current teens will look for a way around it. Those who are still young won't be sucked into it in the first place and more parents are likely to keep them away from it so, there will be a hell of lot less 'but all my mates have it' because they won't.

The parents who have bothered to parent their children in the world of phones and the internet have already done so. The only people who are really targeted by this ban are those with parents who likely don't care much anyway, and thus who will have no appetite at all to suddenly change tack and comply.

Twitter/X is an utter cesspit these days that’s for sure.

I don’t use Bluesky, so wouldn’t know. But I can imagine it’s far less awash with filth. Idk.

But from what I understand, BS already has robust age filters in place, and it’s hardly the first thing your average kid is about to look at in the first place, unlike the cesspool of musks septic tank

Fair point. It's interesting how slow this and the last government have been to apply this same principle to banning smoking for young people, though, isn't it?

I'm wondering how it will be enforced as well.

It was totally illegal to visit your granny in 2020, if she didn't live with you. Was it enforced? (It wasn't in Downing Street.)

Will teenagers be unable to use Youtube to help them study for GCSEs? As a tutor, I'm always encouraging my pupils to look for information videos.

Is this a way to bring in digital ID by stealth?

"If you don't get digital ID, you can't use social media."

It’ll be like vaping. All the dodgy kids will do it, the well behaved ones won’t.

it’s all for Digital ID. I don’t understand how people can’t see that! https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1ETafyEzvv/

That's as maybe; but it's very obviously right there waiting in pole position to take over.

If there were a field in your town that was completely ruined through non-stop fly tipping, and the government announced that they were going to start prosecuting and punishing everybody who dumped their waste there, but they made it very clear that they weren't remotely bothered at all about the next field along, as that one hadn't hitherto suffered from any fly tipping... what do you suppose might happen?

Good.

got no problem with that myself being a law abiding citizen. You do realise that in this country we have elections every 4 years and you can vote for a party that will offer utter libertarianism (lol) and repeal all this anyway. And then of course your actusl rights, protections and freedoms will be stripped from underneath you by the people that champion this “we can’t have digital ID stuff..,but hey,

Ive got no problem with digital Id because I don’t consume paranoid far right media

Are you suggesting the government have ‘made it clear’ they want to put no restrictions on Bluesky?

People who are happy to share online activity with the gov can, many will use VPNs

That's as maybe; but it's very obviously right there waiting in pole position to take over.

Take over from who?!?

This is about a SM ban for under 16s

If I asked my ds(14) or any of his mates what blue sky was they wouldn’t have the faintest idea.

Musk’s cesspool they have obviously heard of and know

Some people are desperate to hijack this into a “nasty lefty authoritarian” sketch which is frankly not what is happening.

Why on earth would I know any more than the information that’s been released so far to say that, which is available to you as much as to me.

This may be a shock, to you, but I am not Keir Starmer.

Not at all. As I said, we can only go on what the government have told us they plan to do. They may indeed be planning on drip-feeding the details and/or burying less popular aspects, as they have done before - none of us ordinary people know yet.

All I know is that they announced this whole thing as banning 'social media' - and then they have very clearly stated that they're including a television streaming site as well - so I'd find it strange if they did announce that, but then 'forgot' to mention another actual social media platform.

Chill. You put it out there.

I’ve not watched that one but there’s a brilliant but terrifying podcast called Gatekeepers about the lack of control of content on social media and how the algorithms push stuff out, well worth a listen.

I do think parents need to take more personal responsibility for managing their children’s access and conduct online. Of course the government and tech companies have an important role to play, but parents can’t absolve themselves of responsibility.

Exactly. Massive government overreach. It’s the responsibility of parents, not governments. Already the government is playing favourites with platforms they approve of.

My kids aren’t on social media because I am a responsible parent who enforces that. The children of feckless and lazy parents will continue to be on social media because their parents don’t enforce it or allow their kids access.

A classic example of seen to be doing something.