Social Media Ban

Key call: Ensure that implementation of the social media ban for under 16s gives full and balanced consideration to the full range of rights in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Following the UK Government’s announcement that they intend to introduce restrictions to prevent children under 16 from holding social media accounts, attention must now turn to how these proposals will be implemented.

Protecting children from online harm is a vital and widely shared objective. However, important questions remain about the policy’s effectiveness, enforcement, proportionality, and compatibility with children’s rights.

In Wales, these issues must be considered through the lens of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and Wales’ distinctive legislative and policy commitment to putting children’s rights at the heart of decision-making.

In a new briefing, Dr Rhian Croke, Children’s Legal Centre Wales and Dr Sara Correia-Hopkins, Swansea University/COPRNET set out why a holistic, children’s rights approach — not simply restriction — must be central to implementing any social media ban in Wales.