Opinion: 'Social media ban will do more harm than good' - Rugby Advertiser work experience student shares concerns over new rules

I’m going to start this article with making something very clear – whether or not you believe that this proposition is a good thing or not, it’s not going to stop the presence of minors on the internet and social media. I mean, come on.

People have been lying about their ages online to get on to websites since the Internet began. People, especially older people, think that they know what’s best for the younger generations. Which can be true in a lot of cases.

Social media can be a dangerous thing, and is linked to many mental and physical health problems.

In the UK alone, 40 per cent of teenagers report that social media has triggered body image worries in them, and a third of that number admit to cutting diets and even stopping to eat completely because of those concerns. The ban could stop that constant influx of digitally edited, filtered or AI generated “perfection”, and would most likely make that statistic go down.

Also, not only is social media and the Internet linked to many different mental health issues such as depression, eating disorders and generalised anxiety, it can lead to real life threats as well. Right-wing propaganda is constantly trying to point fingers at people, and politicians such as Nigel Farage and Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (better known as Tommy Robinson) are clamouring for the youth vote through convincing them that “others are the enemy”, without ever explaining why.

This is shown in the rampant misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia and racism in our society and among our youth. These behaviours aren’t just learnt or come naturally, these ideas and these behaviours are taught. A lot of that comes from social media.

While banning social media may create a lack of AI exposure for teens, we know that that is not a priority for the government. AI is still perfectly legal to be used in magazines and TV adverts which proves that removing AI from advertisements is not what the government wants to do.

While the health risks may be used as a way of gaining heroism and taking the “moral high road”, the government is not working with companies to raise these concerns with them.

I think that a better approach to this issue is working together with the companies to fix this issue, and remove the threat. Things like background checks for users and stricter codes of conduct will help stop minors online even being an issue. I’m not some crazy conspiracy theorist screaming “overthrow the government!”.

This ban will do more harm than help. The internet is a wonderful place where different people can find solace and community.

It’s the predators who use this to get close to children who are the problem, and who should be the main focus for these kinds of bills. Sheltering people will not help in the way you think it will.