{"id":255527,"date":"2025-12-28T11:18:22","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T11:18:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/255527\/"},"modified":"2025-12-28T11:18:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-28T11:18:22","slug":"should-we-ban-social-media-for-under-16s-irish-teens-share-their-thoughts-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/255527\/","title":{"rendered":"Should we ban social media for under-16s? Irish teens share their thoughts \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earlier this month Australia became the first country in the world to ban social media for children under the age of 16. It\u2019s a move that\u2019s being watched closely around the globe, not least by those aged under 16, wondering if this could become their reality too. <\/p>\n

Here, Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin<\/a> said \u201cthere needs to be more debate on whether blanket bans are the way to go\u201d, while T\u00e1naiste Simon Harris<\/a> said he is \u201cvery supportive of the idea of social media being restricted to people above a certain age<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n

But what do those likely to be affected if a similar ban was to happen in Ireland think? <\/p>\n

Sarah Davitt (15), from Blackrock, Co Dublin, recently returned from a trip to Brussels with the Webwise<\/a> Youth Panel, which is focused on raising awareness of online safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cI personally would be against it [the ban] being brought in to Ireland,\u201d she says. \u201cBy banning something outright, less education is going to be put forward. If we\u2019re trying to educate our youth on social media, we cannot do that unless we have the use of social media.\u201d<\/p>\n

She says \u201crestrictions and safety by design\u201d are more appropriate. If a ban was to happen, however, she feels it should be geared towards 12- and 13-year-olds. <\/p>\n

She believes a ban will make social media \u201cmore attractive\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cStrict parents create sneaky children … If you bring in the ban you\u2019ll really see that being played out.<\/p>\n

\"SarahSarah Davitt (15) says banning social media for children up to 16 is ‘not the solution’. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw\/ The Irish Times <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think people realise how easy it is to work a VPN,\u201d Sarah says, referring to a virtual private network. \u201cChanging the country\u2019s location is so phenomenally easy … I\u2019ve seen my friends do it when their parents are really strict on social media … Most people my age, even if they\u2019re allowed or not allowed social media by their parents, have accounts.\u201d <\/p>\n

She says there needs to be more education and \u201cdigital media literacy\u201d. <\/p>\n

\n

Strict parents create sneaky children … If you bring in the ban you\u2019ll really see that being played out<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0Sarah Davitt<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIf we bring in this ban we\u2019re just going to presume kids aren\u2019t on social media, because they shouldn\u2019t be there, which then just creates a worse social media space … Without having social media companies held accountable for keeping online safe for kids, it\u2019s not going to be created safe for anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

She points also to the opportunities social media creates for people who are part of minority groups to connect. <\/p>\n

\u201cMost people have seen harmful videos on the internet. I think most of my friends and I saw the video of when Charlie Kirk was shot … Obviously the trad wife trend, that has been very prevalent on social media recently. I understand that the Government is trying to help us and trying to protect us. And I do agree that something has to be done, and done soon … banning it at 16 is just not the solution.\u201d <\/p>\n

Zach Moore (14), from Greenhills, Dublin, uses WhatsApp, Snapchat and YouTube mostly. Social media is important to him. He too is part of the Webwise Youth Panel.<\/p>\n

\n

That Andrew Tate fella. I remember getting a load of his videos at one point for a while, and then they just stopped<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0Zach Moore<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIf I\u2019m bored, I\u2019d probably go on social media. If I needed to know something, I\u2019d look it up. And I talk to my friends as well,\u201d Zach says. If he comes across misogynistic, racist or other unacceptable content he says he ignores it or reports it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat Andrew Tate fella. I remember getting a load of his videos at one point for a while, and then they just stopped. He seems like a bit of an extremist,\u201d Zach says. He can see how this material can target boys.<\/p>\n

\"MariaMaria Donoghue, business teacher and Webwise programme co-ordinator at Greenhills Community College, and third-year student Zach Moore (14). Photograph: Alan Betson <\/p>\n

\u201cI can definitely why they\u2019d want to ban it, but to be honest I don\u2019t think a complete ban would solve anything … I think they would have been better to have mandatory parental controls. Leave it up to the parents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zach worries he spends too much time on social media sometimes. But he thinks if a ban was introduced in Ireland young people might spend more time trying to get around the ban rather than doing other things.<\/p>\n

He thinks some adults understand how important social media is to young people. \u201cBut some think that it\u2019s all bad,\u201d he says. \u201cI don\u2019t think that it\u2019s all bad, but there definitely are certain areas that are malicious, or there\u2019s no good intent.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Could Ireland follow Australia and ban under-16s from social media?Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

He\u2019d like to see \u201cstricter moderation on platforms\u201d and more education and support provided to teenagers on how to navigate problematic content that they might come across. <\/p>\n

He thinks the youth voice is important. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely good to hear from people who are going to be directly affected, or people who are at risk of coming under the ban.\u201d He expects adults and younger people may hold polar opposite views.<\/p>\n

Zach doesn\u2019t think adults necessarily know best on this. \u201cEspecially with social media because it\u2019s only really gained this much traction over the past 15 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eve Cullen, from Tipperary, is 15. She uses TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. <\/p>\n

\n

I go online and I\u2019m able to find thousands of other people who also enjoy that hobby and I can talk to them about it<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0Even Cullen<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

She feels \u201cin theory it\u2019s a good idea to stop letting kids use social media\u201d but argues that a cut-off age of 16 is too high. \u201cEleven or 12 would be perfect.\u201d At 15, she says, \u201ca lot of our lives revolve around social media and it\u2019s important to have\u201d. She believes people will easily find a way around any ban. \u201cI feel like a lot of the people who brought in this ban might not have kids themselves. Parents might know more about how kids are going to get around it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many young people find their \u201ccommunity\u201d online, Eve says. She uses Snapchat to call and text people she already knows. \u201cIt\u2019s great to meet new people on TikTok.\u201d Eve says most young people have their wits about them when it comes to the danger of being contacted by strangers who may not be who they claim to be. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s as big a problem as a lot of people make it out to be.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"EveEve Cullen (15): \u2018It\u2019s great to meet new people on TikTok\u2019 <\/p>\n

Eve has seen some upsetting content online. \u201cI figure a way to go around it and ignore it. It\u2019s not a huge thing online for me.\u201d She insists she\u2019s not hugely influenced by political, health or wellness content she sees online, saying she\u2019s more likely to try out a recipe.<\/p>\n

She believes there are lots of positives to social media. \u201cI love doing knitting and crochet and stuff like that. And there\u2019s not many people in Thurles, where I live, that would be into that as well. I go online and I\u2019m able to find thousands of other people who also enjoy that hobby and I can talk to them about it. But if social media was banned then I\u2019d be very lonely in that hobby.\u201d<\/p>\n

At school, Eve uses Instagram for her transition year (TY) mini-company. \u201cEveryone in TY in our school [uses Instagram] to promote and advertise our products,\u201d she explains. <\/p>\n

Her social media \u201cused to be controlled when I was younger. There was an app on my phone that would block screen time,\u201d Eve explains. But she feels at this age she is able to \u201cself-police\u201d. <\/p>\n

She worries that if teenagers weren\u2019t granted access to social media until the age of 16, they wouldn\u2019t know what things they \u201cshould look out for. They might get scammed, even, because they\u2019ve never been exposed to it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Holly Heneghan (16) lives in Westmeath. She says she would hate a ban.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok, the main three for me, it\u2019s entertainment. Snapchat is for communicating with my friends … I call and text on Snapchat.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"HollyHolly Heneghan (16): \u2018On TikTok there is a Stem site\u2019 <\/p>\n

She has seen things on social media that she doesn\u2019t feel are appropriate for 12- and 13-year-olds to see, but feels things have improved. \u201cThere is still a lot of body positive stuff on social media now. [More] than there was when I was 12.\u201d <\/p>\n

She has come across problematic material but \u201cnot necessarily in the apps that have been banned\u201d. Inappropriate material can show up in advertisements that crop up in games, she explains. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are times I\u2019ve spent too much time on social media,\u201d Holly admits, \u201cbut I go on social media because it shows me things I\u2019m interested in. It gives me a break from the world because it shows sides that I like.\u201d<\/p>\n

She doesn\u2019t believe teens will accept the ban. \u201cI think they\u2019ll try and figure out a way to keep their social media.\u201d <\/p>\n

Holly thinks a ban would make those under 16 more secretive about their social media use. She feels adults don\u2019t necessarily understand the huge support social media can offer, including academically.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn TikTok there is a Stem site. It can teach you maths, science and engineering.\u201d She believes the positives of social media outweigh the negatives. <\/p>\n

\n

[Social media] gives me a break from the world because it shows sides that I like<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0Holly Heneghan<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Hannah Goff (16) from Dublin, thinks a social media ban \u201cis a really good idea\u201d for younger people, but feels 14 or 15 may be a more appropriate cut-off age.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think people under 16 actually need phones to function.\u201d <\/p>\n

She thinks younger teens could organise meet-ups through parents. \u201cI think it might be easier as well for parents to understand where their child is and what their child might be doing.\u201d <\/p>\n

She feels not having a phone could lead to under-16s meeting up with their friends in person more frequently. \u201cHowever, I do think in Ireland there\u2019s a lack of things to do for people under 16.\u201d <\/p>\n

Hannah has learned a lot about content awareness in school. \u201cIf you know how to use social media, you\u2019re better off with it, but I think people a lot of the time were just handing their kids phones … and then they\u2019re not really prepared for what they come across. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0A grand social media experiment begins in Australia. Will it work?Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the elections in the US I did see a lot of propaganda for Trump and Kamala. But I would just scroll past that. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve seen anything that has been particularly disturbing or upsetting. But also I\u2019ve been very careful to avoid that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do see a lot of people online who are very different to how they normally look. They\u2019re edited.\u201d She feels younger people could be vulnerable to this. \u201cI\u2019ve seen a lot of eight- to 10-year-olds now who are using all the internet make-up\u201d.<\/p>\n

Hannah believes the under-16s \u201cwill definitely\u201d try to get around any ban \u201cconsidering when the Yondr pouch was brought in. Everyone\u2019s gotten around it at this point.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeenagers, you tell them something to do and they will do the opposite. You give them a barrier and they\u2019re going to go under it, over it, through it,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n

\"DrDr Colman Noctor: \u2018The damage of social media is happening now\u2019 <\/p>\n

Dr Colman Noctor, child and adolescent psychotherapist, says delaying access until a young person is mature enough \u201cis the right thing to do\u201d. But, he adds, \u201cthe how you do that is more complex\u201d.<\/p>\n

He feels the Australian strategy, \u201cwhile well intended, may not work\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cImposing bans will always meet resistance and so some form of alliance with young people is far more likely to be successful. However, the difficulty is that young people think adults don\u2019t have a clue about social media, and adults don\u2019t think young people have a clue about real life. And both are probably true, but meeting a consensus will take time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I\u2019m not sure the ban is the answer, waiting around for another 15 years to gain consensus is not a workable solution either,\u201d Noctor says. \u201cThe damage of social media is happening now. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor me the only way this will be resolved is if the social media companies take the lead and invest in meaningfully protecting children, but that does not fit with their financial models so we have to do what we can in the meantime.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Earlier this month Australia became the first country in the world to ban social media for children under…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":255528,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[90806,1128,9,10,41120,18,13,14,6,19,876,17,11,12,15,16,5,34020,1150,7,8,2212,121],"class_list":{"0":"post-255527","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-andrew-tate","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-breaking-news","11":"tag-breakingnews","12":"tag-charlie-kirk","13":"tag-eire","14":"tag-featured-news","15":"tag-featurednews","16":"tag-headlines","17":"tag-ie","18":"tag-instagram","19":"tag-ireland","20":"tag-latest-news","21":"tag-latestnews","22":"tag-main-news","23":"tag-mainnews","24":"tag-news","25":"tag-snapchat","26":"tag-tiktok","27":"tag-top-stories","28":"tag-topstories","29":"tag-weekendreview","30":"tag-youtube"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115796922759240617","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255527"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255527\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}