Under-16 social media ban 'will protect children'

A Jersey childhood advocate and play champion says the UK banning under-16s from major social media apps will protect children and prolong their childhood.

It's due to take effect from next Spring and will mean children won't be able to access sites like Tiktok, Instagram and Facebook.

Messaging sites like WhatsApp are not included.

It follows a similar move by Australia in December.

Emily Jennings, Jersey play champion, said:

"Let's be really clear - this is about membership to social media platforms, this is about children having accounts that facilitate big tech, tracking them, harvesting their data, and targeting them with bespoke adverts as well as amplifying their content with algorithms.

"This isn't about children accessing information on the internet, this isn't about children connecting to one another, they can still do that, this is about social media platforms accessing children and their data and exploiting their vulnerabilities.

"We really need to focus on the fact that we're protecting children and prolonging their childhood.

"Protecting them from being accessed by predators, but also companies that are looking for profit from gaining their attention and brand loyalty, and just keeping them scrolling and scrolling for so many hours that they're not sleeping as much, so not being as active, they're not connecting with each other as much, or growing the skills that are so crucial to grow during childhood."

Snapchat and YouTube have issued statements warning that this ban may push young people to less safe platforms.

A Snapchat spokesperson said:

"We share the government’s objective of protecting young people from online harm. However, because the majority of time spent on Snapchat is in private messaging between friends and family, an outright ban that disconnects teens from those relationships doesn’t make them safer — it may simply push them to less safe platforms.

"We have long supported thoughtful and proportionate regulation, including the UK's groundbreaking Online Safety Act, and remain committed to working with Ofcom on implementation. It is vital that the Government now carefully considers the scope of a ban, and how it will define and apply its exclusions."

A YouTube spokesperson said:

"We’ve invested in expert-led, age-appropriate experiences and default protections for teens for over a decade and will continue to do so.

"YouTube is a vital resource for young people, educators and parents.

"Blanket bans push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less-safe services."

The Prime Minister suggested there would be a carve-out for online learning tools such as YouTube Kids.

In a statement sent to Channel 103, a spokesperson from the Government of Jersey said introducing any such ban here would be something for the new Council of Ministers to consider, when they're in place.

In January, Jersey's ministers indicated they would support the principle of more restrictions here.