Education Minister 'Sympathetic' to Social Media Ban Calls
Education Minister Paul Givan has expressed that he is "sympathetic" to calls for banning social media use among under-16s in Northern Ireland.
The UK government recently initiated a public consultation regarding the potential prohibition of social media access for individuals under 16, ahead of making a formal decision on the matter.
The discussion around establishing a minimum age for social media usage has intensified following Australia's decision last year to ban children from various platforms including Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and TikTok.
It is important to note that any decision to implement such a ban in Northern Ireland falls under the jurisdiction of Westminster, as social media regulation is not a devolved matter to Stormont.
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) minister Paul Givan stated that his party has not yet made a "clear policy decision" on this issue.
Phone Ban Pilot in Northern Ireland Schools
In September 2025, Givan launched a pilot scheme restricting mobile phone use in nine schools across Northern Ireland.
"I introduced a clear policy for all schools that we shouldn't have smart phones being accessed in our post-primary settings from when you arrive in school until you leave school,"
he told NI's Sunday Politics.
"We need to see effective implementation of that policy."
The pilot aimed to limit pupils' use of mobile phones during school hours and was described as "very beneficial" by participants in the scheme.
The initiative, designed to assess the advantages of a phone-free school day, is scheduled to continue until March.
Last September, Fiona Kane, principal at St Ronan's College, commented on the scheme's impact:
"Phones are a massive distraction during the day and there would have been incidents where pupils would have a sneaky look during lessons,"
she added, noting the scheme had "transformed learning and teaching."
Australia's Social Media Ban for Children
The Australian government implemented its ban to mitigate the negative effects of social media, which encourages young people to spend increased time on screens and exposes them to content potentially harmful to their health and wellbeing.
The ban covers ten platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, and streaming services Kick and Twitch.
Platforms such as YouTube Kids, Google Classroom, and WhatsApp were excluded as they did not meet the criteria established by the Australian government.
The ban is enforced on social media companies, which face fines up to A$49.5 million (£25 million) for serious or repeated violations.
The government requires companies to take "reasonable steps" to prevent children from accessing their platforms, including employing multiple age verification technologies.
Monitoring Australia's Approach
In January 2026, First Minister Michelle O'Neill acknowledged both positive and negative impacts of social media on young people and emphasized the importance of closely monitoring Australia's legislative approach.
"If there are positive outputs from that, and it actually improves young peoples' lives and takes them out of the murky world that can be sometimes online, then that's something I think we have to keep under review."
Minister Givan stated that he has been observing the effects of Australia's social media ban but noted that implementing a similar policy in Northern Ireland does not "strictly sit" within his "ministerial remit in terms of taking this policy forward."
"We would need to look at the detail of exactly how this would work."
The Department of Justice informed NI that telecommunications legislation, including social media platform regulation, remains a reserved matter under the UK government.
You can watch the interview with Education Minister Paul Givan on Sunday Politics via BBC .
