Protesters say social media ban ‘isn’t the answer’ as they pile pressure on government to tackle Big Tech
Protesters staged a demonstration outside government offices on Friday morning to urge ministers to “look beyond” a proposed social media ban for under-16s.
A consultation on whether young people should be banned from social media platforms will end next week as politicians seek to respond to growing pressure to ensure UK laws keep children safe online.
But demonstrators from the group Mad Youth Organize said a ban was “not the answer” and called on politicians to break the power of Big Tech instead.
Protesters gathered outside the Department for Science, Technology and Innovation, as well as Meta’s London headquarters, to claim age-based restrictions penalize young people rather than tackling real harm.
The group placed bright pink phones outside both buildings and, when removed by staff, played messages left by young people sharing their vision on social media.
These included the ability to control their own algorithms, the removal of addictive features such as auto-scrolling, and the removal of ads from platforms.
The movement, led by young people who say “addictive” and “dangerous” social media algorithms are harming their mental health, is calling for an alternative approach to tackling children’s online safety.
The group’s demands include a 4 per cent “misery tax” on the revenues of tech companies in the UK and funneling the money back into positive action through mental health services and the creation of new community-led platforms.
Hannah, from Mad Youth Organize, said: “We are outside the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology to tell the government that it needs to look beyond the ban on action to make social media truly safe for young people.
“Big tech billionaires have shown that they don’t care about our well-being; for them, social media is just a tool to amass money and power. That’s why we’re telling the government that banning is not the solution. Getting social media away from the stranglehold of big tech companies is the solution!”
Diarmaid McDonald, director of Just Treat, the campaign group behind Mad Youth Organise, previously said: Independent The group aims to “bring awareness to the critical role social media plays in harming people’s health.”
“We think every firm responsible for the youth mental health crisis across many sectors should pay a four per cent tax to fund a massive increase in services,” he explained. “It’s about trying not to react immediately to this really important problem and implementing a solution that won’t solve the problem and will make other problems worse.”
Meta and DSIT have been contacted for comment.
