Key points:

• In November 2024, Australia announced a ban on social media for children under 16, sparking global discussion on similar regulations.
• Social media has been linked to mental health risks in teenagers, with coroners citing its negative effects in teen suicides and court cases highlighting its role in online radicalization.
• The US Surgeon General proposed warning labels for social media platforms, akin to those on tobacco products, due to their potential harm.
• In the UK, there is growing political and public pressure to curb the influence and power of social media platforms.
• France introduced legislation in 2023 requiring parental consent for social media access for children under 15.
• Livingstone and Lunt’s theories highlight two regulatory approaches: the “consumer-based model” prioritizing competition and profit and the “citizen-based approach” prioritizing societal and public service needs.
• They argue UK media policy has heavily leaned towards the consumer-based model over the past three decades, prioritizing commercial interests over public good.
• This shift explains growing concerns about safeguarding and regulating harmful online content.
• Livingstone and Lunt also point to challenges in regulating global social media platforms, whose companies and content transcend national borders.
• Public discourse around social media regulation has become widespread, involving academics, news outlets, documentaries, and social media itself.

2nd page of article:

• Calls for tighter regulation of social media and the internet have been ongoing for decades, with debates intensifying over time.
• In 2004, Sonia Livingstone advocated for a balanced approach, warning against moral panic and excessive restrictions on children’s internet use.
• Despite her caution, the UK press fueled moral panic with sensational headlines about the dangers of social media for children.
• By the 2015 UK election, all major political parties proposed restrictions on social media, with the Liberal Democrats advocating for a Digital Bill of Rights.
• Nick Clegg, former Liberal Democrat leader, later joined Facebook (Meta) as President of Global Affairs, where privacy ideals were less prioritized.
• The UK’s Online Safety Bill, signed into law in 2023, ended self-regulation by social media companies, placing them under Ofcom’s oversight and introducing new offences to protect vulnerable groups.
• Livingstone supported the Bill but emphasized the need to balance addressing harms with recognizing the benefits of online spaces for children.
• Her work highlights children’s rights to access and participate in online spaces, now partially enshrined in UN Human Rights law.
• Livingstone criticized Australia’s social media ban for children under 16 as overly simplistic and counterproductive to children’s rights.
• Together with Peter Lunt, she has consistently advocated for media literacy as a solution, empowering users to engage actively and responsibly with media rather than relying solely on restrictions.