Warning Scottish teens face being 'criminalised' under Westminster social media ban

Teenagers in Scotland would be banned from social media sites under a proposal tabled at Westminster.

The Labour government is considering backing a private member’s bill that would raise the age at which social media companies would be allowed to collect data on children, according to a report in The Times.

It follows similar plans announced last week by the Australian government, which said under-16s would be banned from sites such as Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok.

In Scotland, regulatory responsibility around online content and mobile phones lies with the UK government, meaning any decision would be expected to apply both north and south of the border.

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It comes amid growing concerns among parents and teachers about the impact of smartphones and social media, which have been linked to bullying, depression and anxiety.

Stricter rules to protect children on social media platforms are already coming into force under the Online Safety Act, including using age checks and altering algorithms to filter out harmful content

The UK government had previously ruled out support for the first version of a private member’s bill by Josh MacAlister, a new Labour MP, which would raise the minimum age to create social media profiles from 13 to 16.

However, Peter Kyle, the science and technology secretary, is said to be watching developments in Australia closely.

A source told The Times it was “clearly something parents care about” and that “it’s not just a kind of middle-class mum’s concern, it’s across the country”.

Professor Sarah Pedersen, an Aberdeen-based expert in communications and media who authored a book on the politicisation of Mumsnet, believed a ban would be unworkable.

“Whilst I can understand where it is coming from, and it is answering the concerns of parents and educators, it is really not the best approach,” she told The Scotsman.

“I feel it would basically criminalise all our teens with one fell swoop. It encourages children basically to think of law and legislation and regulation as something they really should ignore.

“If that is the first time they actually meet a law that is about them, and all their peer group is basically breaking it, which we know will happen, then that is not the best introduction to regulation.

“The genie is out of the bottle here. We’ve got 14, 15, 16-year-olds accessing social media. What we really need to be doing is educating them, working with them, in order to use it appropriately.

“You don’t just put a 17-year-old in a car and let them drive, you have to have driving lessons. You have to pass to get a licence.

“What we need to be doing is working with young people in order to educate them about the safe use of social media.

“While I completely understand the concerns that people have, I just don’t think that this is a workable approach.”

Prof Pedersen said the proposal reminded her of Hollywood, which brought in censorship itself amid concerns that the US government would intervene on behalf of parents who were worried about the content of movies.

She also highlighted the recent move towards “teen accounts” on some social media accounts, which she believed represented a response to the threat of legislation.

A UK government spokesperson said: “We all want to find the best way of ensuring children are kept safe while also benefiting from the latest digital technology. 

“From next summer the Online Safety Act will introduce strong safeguards for children, preventing them from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content. This will include requiring companies to check the age of children so that parents can have peace of mind about the safety of their children online.”