Social Media Ban for Under-16s to Apply in Northern Ireland
Any ban on social media for under-16s agreed at Westminster will also apply in Northern Ireland. This was confirmed by the UK online safety minister Kanishka Narayan.
However, young people Narayan met in Belfast expressed mixed opinions about the proposal.
Nadia Mackiewicz, 17, from Carrickfergus, who would not be affected by the ban, shared her perspective as someone who grew up with social media.
"I feel like there's not enough consultation with young people in terms of this ban,"
she said, adding that online platforms can be valuable for social interaction.
"Social media nowadays is a good way for young people to interact with each other."
Nadia and other young members of the #iwill youth movement met the minister at an event in Belfast to express their views.
"A lot of the volunteering stuff I have found has actually been through social media."
"I feel like banning social media completely for young people can actually limit political engagement."
Why is the UK Government Proposing the Ban?
The UK government is currently consulting the public on whether to ban social media use for under-16s. Australia recently became the first country to implement such a ban on major social media services for this age group.
UK ministers have previously expressed commitment to introducing social media restrictions. However, the government is also seeking public opinion on whether the minimum age to use social media should be lower, such as 13.
Other potential measures under consideration include various restrictions, though specific options were not detailed in the report.
The consultation period will end on Tuesday 26 May. Despite nearly 70,000 responses overall, only about 700 have come from parents and young people in Northern Ireland.
Minister Narayan stated the government intends to act promptly based on the consultation results.
"There is this deep sense that young people's experience online is not good enough,"
he told NI.
"Lots of instances of bullying but also this long-term impact on mental health, on sleep and relationships.
And so we want to act to protect our young people and put their interests first.
Whatever we do the burden of it is not going to fall on parents and on families, it's going to fall on tech companies."
Young People's Perspectives on the Proposed Ban
Mark Brashier, 19, from Dundonald, told NI that the government's consideration of a ban was "understandable."
"But as with all matters it's not always black and white,"
he said, adding that if he were younger, he would be somewhat annoyed by such a ban.
"Back when I was 14 was really when I began to understand the wider impact of social media in a social sense, with being able to talk to classmates, talk to friends and even gain new friends through social media,"
Any ban agreed by the UK parliament would apply across the UK. Young people from Scotland and England also traveled to Belfast to share their opinions on the plan.
Rachel Talbot, 19, from Scotland, expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of a ban.
"I worry that by banning young people from these spaces they turn to less regulated sites and then feel like they can't come forward with any issues that occur,"
"I also feel that it would take away from young people's voices.
Social media is the one place that young people are always welcome to share their voice."
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Martim Baptista from England suggested that time limits on some apps could be beneficial.
"Social media can be a fantastic and dreadful thing at the same time,"
"Personally it's helped me a lot but I know that it can also be detrimental to many people.
Perhaps we do need some restrictions, some change, but maybe not an all-out ban."
He admitted to having used his phone "too much" for most of his life.
Social Media Usage Among Young People in Northern Ireland
Research recently presented to the Northern Ireland Assembly indicates that almost all 16-year-olds in Northern Ireland use social media. The most popular platforms are Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram.
The study, conducted by academics from Queen's University of Belfast (QUB), found that nearly one in ten 16-year-olds spend more than eight hours per day on social media, while about half spend between three and five hours daily.
More broadly, communications regulator Ofcom reports that 86% of children aged 10-12 across the UK have their own social media profiles.
Ofcom has criticized TikTok and YouTube in a recent report, stating that their content feeds are "not safe enough" for children.
