Some 74% of people think under 16s should be restricted from making a social media account on TikTok while 71% believe the same for Facebook and Instagram, polling shows
The public overwhelmingly think under 16s should be banned from TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, research shows.
Some 74% of people think under 16s should be restricted from making a social media account on TikTok while 71% believe the same for Facebook and Instagram, polling by More in Common think tank has found. After this, 66% of people think Snapchat should also bring in an over-16s rule.
The polling, carried out with the National Education Union and The New Britain Project, found fewer than half of people (48-49%) thought YouTube or Reddit should be restricted for under 16s. Elsewhere in the survey, 72% of people said social media has a negative impact on young people.
Respondents cited unrealistic body expectations, cyberbullying, child sexual abuse and misinformation among the harms kids face on social media. Others cited the addictiveness of social media, including not being able to stop themselves from scrolling through video after video. One person told the survey: “Social media can be as harmful as cigarettes or alcohol, yet we allow 13-year-olds access. It’s crazy.”
Anna McShane, director of The New Britain Project, said: “Social media, once seen as bringing people together, is now viewed as a divisive force replacing real-world connections at home, school, and work. Our research shows people across Britain – young and old – increasingly see it as having a negative, often destructive, impact on their lives. Many worry about children inheriting the pressures it has imposed on their own generation and want to see a shift toward healthier ways of connecting.”
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Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Social media companies are driven by profit, and a business model. The products they create are designed to be highly addictive and have contributed to many of the problems we see in our schools – bullying, social anxiety and an increase in mental health issues.
“It is no surprise that seven in 10 people think that access to TikTok, Facebook and Instagram should be restricted. As we see a growing pattern of children viewing harmful content on these platforms, it is essential that the government takes action to protect young people.”
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has repeatedly said “nothing is off the table” when it comes to keeping kids safe on social media. Media regulator Ofcom has given social media giants until April to take urgent action to stop kids seeing harmful content relating to pornography, suicide, self-harm and eating disorders.
::: More in Common polled 2,016 adults between January 17 and 20.
