Education Minister has today welcomed the UK
Government's announcement to ban social media platforms for
children under the age of 16.
Under the proposals, social media platforms will be required to
prevent under-16s from accessing their services. The measures are
expected to apply to major social media platforms including
TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, X and YouTube alongside
wider protections aimed at reducing harmful online experiences
for children and young people.
Describing the proposals as a significant step towards
safeguarding young people and supporting healthier childhoods,
said: I strongly welcome this
decisive action to place children's wellbeing and safety at the
heart of the online world. Young people today are growing up in
an increasingly digital environment, and it is vital that
protections keep pace with the risks they face.
As a father of three teenage girls, I understand the concerns
shared by parents across Northern Ireland about what children can
be exposed to online and the impact excessive social media use
can have on their wellbeing, development and education.
Since becoming Education Minister, I have taken forward a number
of initiatives to encourage healthier digital habits among
children and young people. For example, the Department has funded
a pilot of mobile phone inhibiting devices in nine post-primary
schools to test and evaluate the practicalities and impact of
this approach in real school settings.
The feedback from participating schools has been overwhelmingly
positive. School leaders have reported improvements in pupil
engagement, concentration, behaviour and social interaction, with
many describing the impact as transformative for teaching and
learning.
The pilot concluded at the end of March and an independent
evaluation is currently being finalised by King's College London.
I will carefully consider the findings, which are due to be
submitted to the Department this month, before determining the
next steps.
The Department of Education also continues to invest in the Safer
Schools NI platform that is made freely available to all
education settings, pupils and parents. The platform provides
advice, guidance and information on a range of safeguarding
issues, with particular attention paid to risks in the online
world, emerging social media platforms and online harms.
The Minister continued: I recently wrote to all schools to raise
awareness of the Smartphone Free Childhood Parent Pact
initiative, which encourages parents to delay smartphone
ownership and helps reduce early exposure to social media and
online harms.
For too long, parents have been expected to navigate a digital
landscape that was never designed with children's best interests
in mind. Today's proposals recognise that children deserve
stronger protections and that social media platforms must be held
accountable for the environments they create.
I also want to commend the work of the Smartphone Free Childhood
organisation for its leadership in raising awareness of the risks
associated with early smartphone and social media use and for
supporting parents in building healthier digital habits.
Today's announcement is an important and necessary step towards
helping young people enjoy healthier, safer and more balanced
childhoods and I look forward to seeing these measures brought
forward.
