FOSI Response to UK’s Proposed Social Media Ban
We commend the UK government for taking online safety seriously for years, from the ICO’s Children’s Code (AADC) to the Online Safety Act and Ofcom’s thorough research, public communication, and […] The post FOSI Response to UK’s Proposed Social Media Ban appeared first on Family Online Safety Insti...
AISummary
The UK government is proposing to ban social media for children under 16, with additional restrictions until age 18. While this aims to protect young people online, child safety experts argue that outright bans may not be the best approach and instead recommend other protective measures and digital literacy education.
We commend the UK government for taking online safety seriously for years, from the ICO’s Children’s Code (AADC) to the Online Safety Act and Ofcom’s thorough research, public communication, and regulatory guidance. Yet we are disappointed by the announced plans to move forward with an under 16 social media ban that would have additional restrictions up until age 18. As we said in our submitted comments to UK’s DSIT , “FOSI generally does not support sweeping bans of technologies, instead favori...