Social Media Ban Under 16

My name is Tanvir Singh, and together with my group member Mahir Deswal, we are exploring the issue of social-media use among young people under the age of 16. Social media has become a major part of teenagers’ everyday lives. It allows young people to communicate with friends, share information, express themselves and participate in online communities. However, increased social-media use has also raised concerns about cyberbullying, harmful content, online pressure, privacy, excessive screen time and the possible effects on young people’s wellbeing.

This issue has become an important topic in New Zealand. The New Zealand Government has proposed legislation that would require certain social-media platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent people under 16 from accessing them. The proposal is intended to reduce young people’s exposure to online risks and increase the responsibility of social-media platforms for protecting younger users.

There are different views surrounding this issue. Supporters of an age restriction argue that younger teenagers may need greater protection from harmful online experiences and that social-media companies should have stronger responsibilities for child safety. On the other hand, concerns have been raised about privacy, age-verification systems, enforcement, access to useful online communities and the possibility of young people moving to less regulated platforms.

Our sociology project examines these different perspectives and considers how a social-media age restriction could affect young people, families, schools, technology companies and wider society. We are particularly interested in understanding whether setting a minimum age could help create a safer online environment while still considering young people’s rights and access to communication and information.

Our petition is designed to raise awareness about the proposed under-16 social-media restriction and give people an opportunity to express their views on the issue. Through this project, we want to encourage discussion about how young people can be protected online and what responsibilities should be shared between the government, parents, schools and social-media companies.

We believe this is an important issue for our generation because decisions about social media and online safety could have a long-term impact on how young people communicate, learn and participate in society.

This project has been created by Tanvir Singh and Mahir Deswal.