NewsBeat
Should social media be banned for under 16s? Readers weigh in
Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments
‘Social media is set up to feed content that manipulates emotions’, says reader
The UK and France are considering following Australia in banning social media for under-16s (Metro, Mon).
But it isn’t working in Australia. Young people are finding ways around the ban because social media is designed to turn them into addicts – and addicts will do anything for their next fix.
Social media is set up to feed them content that manipulates their emotions, making them anxious, antisocial and depressed – all to make them spend more time on social media, maximising the platforms’ profits. This is capitalism at work.
Regulation won’t help. To stop social media rotting kids’ brains capitalism must be replaced with a system prioritising wellbeing over financial gain. JWA Caley, St Pancras
Reader disagrees that Trump’s actions benefit US people
Inbaraj (MetroTalk, Mon) thinks that everything Donald Trump does is ‘to the benefit of the US and its citizens’.
Like imposing tariffs and telling the people foreigners will pay whereas it is really US citizens who pay? Like changing Medicare rules so health insurance becomes much more expensive? Like putting masked ICE agents on the street who can murder US citizens with impunity? Wow, I cannot wait for the UK government to start benefiting its citizens in the same way… Martin, London
Breaching international law is history repeating itself, says reader
In the 1930s, Nazi Germany justified territorial expansion by prioritising German interests above international agreements and tearing up the Treaty of Versailles.
More recently, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine followed the same logic of national ambition overriding international law, with devastating human consequences.
When countries abandon shared legal frameworks and focus solely on self-interest, they move towards the principle of ‘might is right’ – where power replaces justice.
International law exists because the world learned, through two world wars and countless conflicts, that unchecked nationalism leads to instability, suffering, and global insecurity. Aftab, Romford
Double standards
Is it true that Iran has threatened to attack the US if they shoot any more street protesters? Peter, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
‘Labour’s left-wingers are like the proverbial dog chasing a car’, says reader
The tears of the MPs of Labour’s Left over their thwarted efforts to return their champion to the Commons to challenge Sir Keir Starmer are beyond self-pitying.
They say Andy Burnham must step down as Greater Manchester’s mayor to become an MP as only he can win a General Election against Reform.
But losing one seat in the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election would be meaningless given Labour’s huge parliamentary majority.
However, Reform came second in 14 of Greater Manchester’s 27 constituencies, so the real threat to Labour is a mayoral election – and Burnham is safe for two more years.
In their pursuit of power – which they already have, given their party is in government – Labour’s left-wingers are like the proverbial dog chasing a car: there’s total confusion and bafflement if or when they achieve their objective! Peter, London
Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments
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