Opinion: Why The Social Media Ban Fails To Protect Under-16s

The UK government’s decision to ban under-16s from major social media platforms is a significant moment.

It reflects what many parents already know: the online world is exposing children to content and experiences they simply are not equipped to deal with.

But we should be careful not to mistake a step forward for a complete solution.

A social media ban is a bit like putting a lock on the front door while leaving the back door wide open. It will help some children. It will certainly make access more difficult.

But it does not address the wider reality of how young people use technology.

Children are not only spending their time on Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. They are on WhatsApp. They are on gaming platforms. They are using AI tools. They are communicating through dozens of apps and services that fall outside of the traditional definition of social media.

Harmful content does not magically disappear because one category of app is restricted.

The other uncomfortable truth is that bans tend to work best on children who are already willing to follow the rules. The children most at risk are often the ones most likely to find workarounds, borrow devices, create alternative accounts or simply move to less regulated platforms.

I am not making an argument against action. I am making an argument for the action to go further.

For years, parents have been told that many of the protections they want are technically impossible. We have been told that harmful content cannot be identified. That explicit images cannot be blocked. That meaningful parental controls are unrealistic. The reality is very different.

The technology already exists. At the startup I co-founded, we have built systems that can block explicit content, prevent the sharing of nude images, and give parents meaningful oversight of a child’s digital experience across their entire device, not just one or two apps.

If a startup can build these protections, it is difficult to accept that some of the largest technology companies in the world cannot.

The biggest risk today is not that the government has gone too far. It is that parents are given the impression that the problem has now been solved.

It has not. Legislation will take time. Enforcement will take time. Legal challenges will take time. Meanwhile, millions of children will continue using smartphones every day. Parents need help now, not several years from now.

A social media ban may be part of the answer. But the long-term solution is technology that is designed to protect children from harm wherever that harm appears, not just on a list of banned apps.

The good news is that we do not need to invent that technology. We simply need to use it.

George Bevis is the co-founder of online child safety app Safetymode.com and founder of Tide.