'I’ll stare at a wall': Student reaction to UK's social media ban announcement goes viral

UK's Prime Minister Keir Starmer has revealed his government will introduce social media ban for those under 16, as a way to reduce their exposure to "dangerous content" and protect their "mental health."Announced Monday, the government plans to outlaw platforms ranging from Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, Snapchat, and YouTube for those under 16, adding the government will be "looking into overnight curfews and breaks" for those under 18.They state since the purpose of the ban is to target platforms that "enable social interaction which allow users to post material, alongside algorithms," WhatsApp and Signal, both messaging applications, will not be included in the ban.Claiming they will "go further than any other country," the restrictions will also apply to the use of gaming sites by those under 16..And as readers might assume, this will also apply to forms of AI.The government plans to ban AI chatbots that provide "romantic companionship," hat simulate these types of intimate relationships, while only banning these types of features on general purpose AI chatbots for those under 18.Although the UK government has yet to mention banning the left-leaning platform Bluesky, though the official list of banned platforms has yet to be confirmed. According to the Sunday Times, the ban covers 10 platforms similarly banned in Australia including, "TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, Twitch, X, Threads, Facebook and Kick.".However, the UK government is set to announce the entire list of platforms banned at a later date, according to GB News. Critics are concerned that this decision may be an attempt at censorship rather than a measure taken to protect children, especially if the government were to make exceptions for certain social media platforms."The UK is banning under-16s from social media, under the guise of 'protecting kids', but it will not include Bluesky. Is this simply overt political censorship?" questioned Reem Ibrahim, of the Reason Foundation think tank.In reaction to the news, BBC News asked students at a school in Tarleton, Lancashire for their opinions. .Their responses were reasonably unsurprising, but tickling nonetheless. "Can you please put your hands up, those of you who welcome the ban," the reporter asked of the handful of students, all aged 11 to 14 years old.None, it seemed liked the idea — with not one student inspired to raise their hands.The reporter spoke to one student in particular, Isabella, whose answer baffled commenters. She told the reporter her screen time over the weekend was nine hours. .Pointing out the hours of extra time the student would soon have, the reporter then asked what her what she would soon do instead."Stare at a wall," Isabella responded deadpan.In response, journalist Nick Wallis wrote, "Glacial wit, perfect delivery and timing.""Some of us stared at a wall for YEARS Isabella," recalled Emilie..Reported by the Guardian, Britain's plan may actually push teens to unregulated and "more harmful platforms," as claimed by one Meta spokesperson. “As we’ve seen in Australia, bans risk isolating teens from online communities and information, and driving them to unregulated alternatives that lack built-in protections and parental controls,” they stated.“Blanket bans push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less-safe services," similarly stated a YouTube spokesperson.“Because the majority of time spent on Snapchat is in private messaging between friends and family, an outright ban that disconnects teens from those relationships doesn’t make them safer – it may simply push them to less safe platforms," pointed out a Snapchat representative..Although there is much speculation about how the ban will be enforced, such as through digital ID systems, on the UK government website, it has yet to state how it will be enforced; it only says they "know that having a range of methods to prove age is important."According to information gathered by the “growing up in the online world” consultation organized by the government, it has been stated 9 in 10 of UK parents support a minimum of age 16 for accessing social media. They claim they will announce enforcement measures in the coming months, along with the first set of regulations.The measures will officially be enforced in spring 2027.

'I’ll stare at a wall': Student reaction to UK's social media ban announcement goes viral

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