WHETHER children under 16 should be allowed to use social media is a question being debated around the world – and now in Jersey too.
Last month, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced sweeping new legislation banning under-16s from accessing all major social-media platforms.
The new UK law is expected to come into force next spring. It would stop under-16s from using apps including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, X and Facebook.
The UK government says the move is about protecting young people online and creating “a new normal for future generations”. Australia brought in a similar ban earlier this year.
Although Jersey is not part of the UK, the announcement has started a big conversation about whether the Island should introduce its own rules.
A new survey suggests many Islanders think it should. Nearly 2,400 people across the Crown Dependencies (Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man) were asked for their views, and 72% of Jersey respondents supported a ban for under-16s. That was the highest level of support in the survey.
However, not everyone agrees.
Jersey’s Office of the Children’s Commissioner – the body responsible for looking out for the rights of children and making sure their voices are heard – said a ban is “neither the right, most effective, nor only way” to keep children safe online.
Instead, it believes social-media companies should make their platforms safer for young people.
Some politicians support a ban. Former Deputy Catherine Curtis said social-media companies have not done enough to protect children, while Deputy Kirsten Morel said limiting access for younger users could be a good starting point.
Deputy Louise Doublet also backed the idea, but said Jersey would need to create its own law rather than simply copying the UK’s.
Others think education is a better answer than a ban. Deputy Gabriel Raimondo, who is 18 years old, said young people should be taught how to use social media safely instead of having it taken away. He also warned that banning social media completely could push some children towards less safe parts of the internet.
“Jersey should really be looking at utilising social media and teaching young people how to use it correctly, rather than taking that ability to use it away,” he said.
“Social media is also another way young people get their media, so it could detach them from politics and world events as well.”
Digital Jersey chief executive Tony Moretta agreed that children need protection online, but said they also need the digital skills they will use in future jobs.
“My worry is more that some people will equate preventing access to social media to preventing access to technology, which is concerning when jobs are more likely than ever to be technology-based,” he said.
Jersey is already looking at new online-safety laws that would make it easier to remove harmful or illegal content from websites and social media.
For now, no decisions have been made about what will happen in Jersey. But as more countries introduce rules for social media, the Island will have to decide how best to keep young people safe while still allowing them to enjoy the benefits of being online.
