Will a ban keep the UK’s kids off social media? – podcast | Social media ban

Keir Starmer announced on Monday that he wants to ban under-16s from social media. “Parents were calling for more control,” he said. “But their kids… well, their kids have other ideas.”

“Snapchat, for example, is one of the best things that ever happened to me,” says a 13-year-old boy. Helen Pidd. ““I don’t think adults understand, it’s how we talk to our friends and fit in.”

Guardian Australia’s executive producer, Stephen ByrneHe says the ban there has had mixed results, but many parents still support it. As a former YouTube star himself, he says he understands why children feel they will lose a valuable community if a ban comes into force in the UK. But he also says he thinks something needs to be done to protect children.

technology reporter Chris Stokel-Walker He thinks the ban is ill-advised and a political move. He said the government was not waiting for evidence from its own study to show what action would best protect children. “I think this is a really poorly thought out solution,” he says.