AIBU to think parents will break the social media rules for summerborn children’s GCSE revision?

[SummerAutumnborn]

So as a parent of a September born child my child will be able to access YouTube educational videos before their GCSEs start. Some of these resources are excellent.

Their best friend (August born) will not be able to access any videos before the GCSEs start unless their parents break the rules.

At A-Level my child will have unlimited access their best friend won’t - a problem for kids who access sports clubs in the evening and want to revise before bed.

Summer borns have an educational disadvantage anyway - will this widen the gap further? Here is a BBC article from a few years ago.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-23435439

Am I being unreasonable thinking parents who agree with the SM ban will break the rules if it disadvantages their summer born child?

Out of interest for those of you who do support the social media ban are you going to say to your child that they cannot access exam resources on YouTube and X even if they are better than school and BBC resources? Or when it comes to an educational advantage will you find it acceptable to break the rules and allow access?

I disagree with the ban btw so would have no issue if it affected my child.

It is a brilliant educational resource.

Parents can clearly let their children use YouTube if they want though. People moaning that their child will miss out educationally because they’re 15 during exam season? I mean come on, some people need to engage their brain a bit here.

I am surprised by some of the comments about YouTube material. My child teaches themselves so much maths and science using YT videos.

We don’t use TikTok but I have been sent some good videos that my child would like. (I thought I was sent some ones on X and Facebook too but looking back at my messages I can only see TikTok) I won’t allow TikTok, Snapchat, Roblox or online gaming etc at all - I’m actually stricter than most of their friends parents but have no desire for the government to parent my child’s social media use. In fact i do wonder if it maybe unhelpful for some parents if the government ‘approve’ of certain apps for U16 and the parents don’t?

Parents who are lax will just log in for them. Or their older cousins will log in for them etc.

I am really surprised that people think YT is rubbish for maths / physics etc and only use revision guides, revision books are great for practice but not if you need a refresher with a person explaining at 10am on a Saturday morning. Or if you want to learn a bit more about a topic. The maths teacher sometimes mentions a future topic that my child chooses to research at home. These are never shorts always videos 5-30/40 mins long depending on the topic.

They watch a video, practise the technique and remember the technique. They absorb it like a sponge. It’s clearly working as the maths and science teachers are very pleased with progress and end of year exam results.

I am not concerned in the slightest about YT. I just wondered if those who agree with the SM ban, agree with it being banned fully for all U16s. It’s clear many on here don’t fully agree with the ban as they say they will allow access to YT without an account or allow some YT programmes on their account.

Many of you have said kids will be able to watch YT without logging in so it is irrelevant really.

How? I don’t have an iPad to give them to use it. The whole issue of the ban was supposed to be that in order to use any social media we have to do an Id check. So I’m going to have to do that on their phone logged in as me? In which case they have unfettered access anyway. What am I missing if it is as simple to get around the ban as that?

What can happen is that parents can give limited access to their kids when revising. What this ban will hopefully stop is kids being able to look at it for hours at a time. What it will hopefully lead to, and it might take some time and probably relate to younger children that social media will not consume their lives. Who knows. As schools have found banning phones in school has led to children actually talking to each other, playing games like cards. It is broadening their lives in different ways. Yes some will flout the ban, but hopefully younger generation will see there are other ways to spend some of their leisure time

Also just to add my children play musical instruments and you tube is essential. It has all the tunes played perfectly which they use to play along to. They also use it to learn new chords and videos which break down songs. Many of the songs they play are learnt from watching you tube.

@BananaPeels what are you using to post on MN?

It’s literally an online version of traditional media age ratings.

If you really want to buy your 9 year old grand theft auto you can, the same obviously applies to this.
What on earth does you not having an iPad have to do with social media not being for under 16s??

Put it on the TV?

I would imagine the videos would just be posted to YouTube Kids instead

Mother of DC who got A*AA here. DC found videos extremely good for revision.

Currently, kids as young as 8, especially those with smartphones can watch videos featuring porn, scenes of violence or chat online to creepy fking adults pretending to be another 8yo. Why are we even discussing whether a 15&3/4 year old will be allowed to watch some revision videos on YTube before the actual day of their 16th birthday?

Why are parents not monitoring this?

VPN use will be through the roof, someone showed today it takes 2 minutes to get around any kind of restriction. Instead of forcing the platform owners to make content safe by fining them the government have taken the easy route of banning all social media. As ds said today if they fined each company 1% of their global revenue for every breach the companies would be conforming within a month or go under. If all the G7 countries stood together with fining the tech giants then social media would be safe without restricting kids use. Knowing Starmer's record on U turns if there is a big enough backlash the decision could be overturned.

Wouldn't bother me and I have a summer child. They will just have to respect the rules. I am so grateful for the ban - it was my biggest worry as a parent to a 7 year old. I am actually considering offering my future 16 year old money if they can successfully hold off social media until at least 18.

I also do not think youtube is essential to revision whatsoever.

Do you mean like you could have gone to the pub, or the cafe, or the park, or the community centre to discuss the day's news with other people in person... but you actively chose to use an online forum instead (or maybe as well)?

As I've said on another thread. We've recently rewatched, an idiot abroad, with my 11 year old GC. She watches educational stuff on YouTube, as well as tutorials. My adult DD fixed her toilet watching YTube. My youngest GC loves misheard lyrics, we watch animal videos and she has sensory issues, so watches funny kitten videos while her hair is being done. If someone can explain the harm, I'd consider sticking to the ban. But then we parent, we are in charge. We don't need government intervention, so we'll follow the 'rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of the wise'.

Yes definitely another way summer borns will be disadvantaged.

But in truth I don't think there will be a year when all the teens start getting access to social media, with the summer borns last. They'll all be on it anyway. The platforms will change and evolve. The ways to get around the ban will be innovative. The internet isn't going back in the box.

Just let your child watch the yt gcse or revision videos on a family shared tv or tablet if needed. Simple! Just

But you said BBC is rubbish. Now you're saying it's good because it's available on YouTube.

Rubbish. There are plenty of other things that are age restricted that kids don’t get ‘sidelined’ for not being old enough to do. Driving for example or drinking. The rules are there for a reason and kids (and their parents) need to get over it and get on with it.