Norma Foley: We must listen to young voices regarding social media ban

With other countries promising to follow in Australia’s footsteps, any ban here has to be crafted with the insight and wisdom of the people it will affect, writes Norma Foley

It is very clear at this stage that social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, to name just a few, are only interested in keeping the eyeballs of young people on their services for as long as possible so they can sell advertising to them.

Every generation has used bans to respond to the social challenges of their time. There are laws in place to outlaw the consumption of alcohol and tobacco by young people under 18.

Some bans, of course, have been discredited and widely ignored. The attempt by the Anglo-Norman ruling class to ban hurling for being “dangerous” in the Statutes of Kilkenny in 1367 was a clear failure — as the recent record crowd numbers for the Munster hurling championship will attest.

Other bans have been more successful. There was strong lobbying by vested interests against the ban on smoking in pubs in 2004, but it is now widely socially accepted and has had clear public health benefits.

In my previous role as minister for education, I introduced the keeping childhood smartphone free policy to discourage the use of smartphones by children in primary schools.

This voluntary policy has been effective in delaying the age by which children are getting smartphones.

There has also been a strong uptake of the scheme to put away mobile phones during the school day at post-primary level, and principals have reported a positive impact on teaching, learning, and chatter in the corridors as a result.

This Government is now looking in detail at the virtues of a ban on the use of social media platforms for young people under 16. There is growing momentum for such a ban, with Australia becoming the first country in the world to do it in December last year.

Britain is now taking action with a social media ban for under-16s next spring that will cover Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, X and YouTube — but not YouTube Kids or WhatsApp.

France and Greece are promising to follow with social media bans of their own to protect under-16s in today’s increasingly digital world.

I’m certainly open to considering a similar social media ban for under-16s in Ireland. It is very clear at this stage that social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, to name just a few, are only interested in keeping the eyeballs of young people on their services for as long as possible so they can sell advertising to them.

In OECD countries, on weekdays, 66% of 15-year-old girls and 61% of 15-year-old boys spend three or more hours per day on social media, with more than half reporting having seen disturbing content.

It appears social media platforms have been deliberately designed to be as addictive as possible. Young people are stuck on screens that have infinite scrolling.

It is like a page on a book that never ends. If young people do manage, on occasion, to escape infinite scrolling, there are constant notifications about new content and activity from their friends to pull them back in.

Anxiety, depression, and body image issues

Since the advent of social media, there has been a rise in anxiety, depression, and body image issues among teenagers. The scientific community is working intensively on research to try to establish definitively that social media is the cause.

The growing concern about the impact of social media on young people has generated international political momentum for a ban on the use of it by under-16s. Any such ban would need a strong system of age verification, which is why the Government is currently working on a pilot project in this area.

However, I’m conscious that we also need to listen to the voices of young people. Social media plays an increasing role in children’s daily lives. 

I do appreciate young people use social media platforms in a 'social' way through sharing content, sending messages, and linking in with each other

Any policy decisions about access of children to social media should be informed by the latest research and, most importantly, by the voices of children and young people.

As minister for children, I am going to make sure that young people are consulted and have a say. We have an ideal opportunity now to explore this as part of the Irish EU presidency, which begins on July 1.

The Department of Children, Disability, and Equality will be hosting a conference on the participation of children and young people in decision making in Dublin Castle on July 30 and 31 as part of Ireland’s EU presidency.

There will be a dedicated workshop where up to 70 young people from Ireland and the rest of Europe can share their views on the digital environment.

A youth advisory group has been established to guide the workshop. The group has independently drawn up a list of questions, including what approach young people want when social media bans are being considered and what is necessary to protect young people in the digital world. It will be an important step, supported by the National Participation Office.

Having a voice is not the same as having a veto. However, if there is to be a social media ban for under-16s, it has to be crafted using the insight and wisdom of young people themselves. That is the best chance of devising a ban that is effective, socially acceptable, and able to withstand the test of time.

• Norma Foley is the minister for children, disability, and equality