The Social Media Debate for Under 16’s

Today felt like a pivotal moment in modern history with the announcement of the 2027 social media ban for under-16s.

Obviously there's lots of discussion on this and it's been a really interesting day filled with conversations.

For me, fixing this requires moving past the simple rhetoric of "stopping" children and embracing a deep, collective commitment to Education, Inclusion, and Creation.

💜 Education: Reclaiming a Healthy Respect for Tech
This cannot be a burden placed solely on kids or tired parents. Everyone has a part to play, and it all comes down to a comprehensive, consistent approach to digital literacy

💜 Inclusion: A place to be heard and seen
We have to honour the nuances of digital communities. Why are young people seeking communities?

💜 Creation: Filling the Void
This is the most critical piece of the puzzle. Our young people grew up digitally savvy, seeking communities online largely because the physical world has all but shut them out. Decades of "No Ball Games" signs, the criminalisation of loitering, and the erosion of public spaces have systematically exiled youth from our neighbourhoods.

Ultimately, this comes down to a choice about the kind of legacy we want to leave behind. If we treat Spring 2027 simply as an eviction date, a day to lock our children out of the digital world and pat ourselves on the back for a policy job well done—we will have failed them entirely. A ban on its own is just an empty gesture that leaves a vulnerable generation stranded in a cultural vacuum.

This moment is demanding something much bigger and much braver from us as adults. We have to find the money, the time, the effort, and the immense collective patience required to rebuild the physical infrastructure of childhood.

Let's change the narrative. Let's change the words we use, lets be positive.

What can we ENABLE for our children and young people so that they are empowered and not denied.

Let this go down in history not as the year we took their phones away, but as the year we finally gave our children their world back. We are enabling them to look up and out beyond a screen, to see past the pixels, and to actually enjoy being a creator rather than a consumer.

Because at the end of the day, we must remember the fundamental truth of how societies grow:

"What you put into the system becomes the system." — Dr Jean Boulton