'We've grown up with it, it's vital' - teens oppose social media ban

A group of teenagers have argued against proposed new restrictions on their online lives, claiming they "need social media to survive".

The 13 and 14 year olds at Morriston Comprehensive School in Swansea did not want a social media ban for under 16s but acknowledged some problems.

"It's easier for older people to say get rid of it because they had a childhood without it - we've grown up with it," said Ruby, 14.

But their headteacher is among many school leaders who responded with the opposite view when BBC Wales asked for their opinions.

She said "massive mental health issues" caused by social media and exposure to "things that they're really not ready for" left schools to "pick up the pieces".

Karen Williams added: "I think that we need to be brave and say that social media has a real detrimental effect on our young people and that we should have that ban."

A UK government consultation on whether to set a minimum age for social media ends on Tuesday, with ministers also considering other measures including requiring platforms to switch off addictive features.

The Welsh government said it was "committed to doing all we can to protect children and young people from the harmful impacts of social media and the online world" and would "await the outcome" of the consultation.

"I feel like growing up in this day and age where technology is so important, you need social media to survive really - just vital," said 13-year-old Indy.

Ellie, 13, added: "I think that social media should restrict its content and not the age because it is a way of finding new hobbies, new people and maybe connections."

Alex, 13, also believes banning it is "too harsh", but feels problems should be tackled.

"I think it's everyone's responsibility - the children, the parents, the social media companies and the creators of the content, to make sure that their content is suitable for all age ranges on the platform because most platforms are 13 plus," he said.

"There's adults and teenagers on there mixing in, so there's going to have to be some type of compromise to get the content that works for both of them."

Williams is so concerned about the damaging effect of social media, she has stopped her own teenagers from having smartphones to access it.

As a headteacher, she sees negative impacts including "cyberbullying, the grooming, the safeguarding issues, the anxiety, the mental health issues that social media can cause, and the lack of concentration".

She felt the positives were outweighed by the negatives.

"When they're under 16, they're far too immature to deal with these massive issues that us as adults struggle with."

When BBC Wales asked secondary school leaders for their comments on banning social media for under 16s, most of the 72 who responded to the question - part of wider research on mobile phone policies - were in favour of stronger restrictions, but some questioned whether a ban could be enforced.

Comments included social media being "the root concern for many issues in school" and the "the single biggest negative influence in pupils lives", but also that it would be "impossible to police" and that young people were "very good at getting around bans and will find other ways to access platforms and could potentially find more harmful material".

The head of Brynteg School in Bridgend was one of the few to argue against a ban, even though his school had recently experienced a "really tough time" as a result of "damaging" TikTok posts.

"My view is quite simply that would be a mistake," Ryan Davies said.

"I think if you ban social media for under-16s, you're going to push [it] underground."

He said recent "upsetting, quite untrue, quite damaging" online posts had "hurt the whole of the school community" but he believed social media also had "many advantages" for young people.

Examples included using TikTok clips to revise for a recent GCSE English literature exam, while some pupils with poor attendance used social media as "the link with the school".

Brynteg pupil Iris, 14, said she and her friends had used social media to follow the recent Senedd election campaign.

It gave young people a platform to "really use their voice and speak up about issues", she said, while her classmate Ammu said it made it easier for some people "to find people who shares similar interests".

Carter,14, said young people should not miss out because of the failings of big technology companies.

"The government needs to look more at the companies themselves and hold them accountable for the content they are allowing on there."

And Ivor, 14, questioned whether a ban could be enforced.

"I feel like even now children lie about their ages on social media.

"If they were to ban it they would keep on doing this, they would find ways to get around it as children do all the time."

Davies agreed the onus should be on social media platforms to tighten up safety measures and added adults were also guilty of misusing social media.

"We're focusing on children again and we take something away from children that actually is so, so important to them in their lives at the moment," he said.

But Joshua Barron-Williams, a teacher who works with Smartphone Free Childhood - a movement to get children off their phones - favours a blanket ban.

"There are so many platforms and apps that are accessible for children that are just not appropriate - they are adult spaces," he said.

He compared the situation to the smoking ban, adding: "At the time people didn't recognise the dangers and now that shift in perspective has happened and now we realise how dangerous it is.

"The big difference is social media is embedded in all our lives. Whilst we need to listen to the voices of young people, they are addicted.

"Their knee-jerk reaction might be to say no, because they are addicted."