Peter Kyle meets group of teenagers at NSPCC HQ who say imposing ban would reduce their social connections
A social media ban for under-16s is “not on the cards at the moment”, a minister has said, as teenagers urged him to rethink plans to follow Australia’s lead and restrict access to sites such as TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat.
He told the Guardian: “There’s no work programme at the moment on banning smartphones to children,” and he added: “It’s not my preferred choice.” The panel of teens complained about platforms’ addictiveness, and the difficulties of getting help when their accounts were hacked and reporting content that made them uncomfortable or distressed. However, none of them called for a ban, and they warned Kyle that imposing one would reduce their social connections, access to support and their safety. Some said teenagers would find a way to beat the ban, as they have done with vaping.
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