Banning young people from using social media does not offer a realistic solution to harmful content and could push them into “darker” online spaces, TDs and Senators have been told.
Speaking at a meeting of the Oireachtas children’s committee on Thursday, representatives from youth organisations said teaching people digital literacy is a better approach.
Australia banned social media for under-16s last December, prompting Ireland and other countries to consider its own restrictions.
Emilia de Búrca, a member of the Ombudsman for Children’s Office youth advisory panel, said Australia’s approach amounted to “a quick fix for decision-makers” but failed to “address many of the underlying issues beneath online harm”.
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Noting that several countries are exploring the possibility of banning under-16s from social media, de Búrca said: “We do not believe that bans offer a meaningful solution. It simply puts the onus on teenagers to stay off social media, rather than making social media channels safer in the first place.”
De Búrca said social media is designed to be addictive and many people struggle to stay offline. “I’m addicted to my phone,” she said.
Banning young people from using social media would simply not work, as people could easily lie about their age and continue to use certain apps, she added.
“Bans deny young people access to the benefits of the online world and we feel that, in practice, they would be difficult to enforce, given how ineffective existing age-verification technology can be.”
De Búrca said there should instead be “more emphasis on digital literacy”, as young people, parents, guardians and teachers all need “skills to identify misleading or inaccurate content”.
The teenager said social media companies have “a fundamental duty to make sure that the young people using their products are kept safe” and should remove harmful content quickly.
There should be “strong legal requirements on companies to tackle the issue of harmful algorithms, and to prevent children encountering misinformation and extremist content via their platforms”, she added. If companies don’t comply with this, they should “face serious sanctions”.
Róisín O’Neill, a member of the National Youth Council of Ireland’s youth advisory group, said algorithms often “favour shocking and aggressive content”.
Social media “provides a medium for self-exploration, expression, advocacy and education”, but inappropriate or harmful content can make it “challenging to navigate”, O’Neill said.
There should be a greater emphasis on “critical digital literacy education across generations” so people of all ages “can navigate the online world critically and safely”, she said.
O’Neill said young people want to be “part of the mainstream conversations, not shut out and pushed further into the darker, less regulated, less safe online spaces”.
Quoting Sunita Bose – managing director of Sydney-based Digital Industry Group, a group that opposed the under-16s ban in Australia – O’Neill said: “Swimming has risks, but we don’t ban young people from the beach – we teach them to swim between the flags.”
A “blanket ban for a portion of society” would not effectively address any of the risks people face online such as harmful content and disinformation, O’Neill said.
“We believe these risks require a variety of considered, well-thought-through solutions. Young people want realistic, nuanced, evidence-based and targeted solutions to the complex problems that social media poses.”
In February, the Cabinet approved a digital and artificial intelligence strategy but – despite earlier suggestions from some Ministers – it did not contain a social media ban for under-16s. The Government instead said it will consult the EU and “like-minded countries” to promote measures that may eventually keep children off certain online platforms.
