TikTok and X declare their "neutrality" on social media ban for children - report
Kyiv • UNN
The British government has launched an experiment to restrict social media access for 300 teenagers. Tech giants Meta, TikTok, and X maintain a neutral stance.
While the UK is launching an experiment to assess the feasibility of banning social media for children, representatives of major tech companies told British parliamentarians that they are not overly concerned about the idea of a ban, UNN reports with reference to Politico.
Details
The UK government is conducting consultations that will determine whether it will decide to impose a ban on social media for individuals under 16 years of age. The government of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has granted itself broad powers, so if the results of the consultations are in favor of a ban, it will be able to act quickly.
As part of these consultations, the country's Ministry of Science, Innovation and Technology on Wednesday launched a pilot project involving 300 teenagers, which will show how different restrictions on their use of social media can improve or not improve their well-being.
One group of teenagers will have completely blocked access to social media, the second group will be limited to one hour a day on certain applications, including Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. The third group will be blocked from social media from 9 PM to 7 AM, and the fourth will have regular access and serve as a control group.
Representatives from Meta, Google, TikTok, and X appeared before the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee this week, and parliamentarians questioned them about whether they supported or opposed the idea of a social media ban.
TikTok's Director of Public Policy for Northern Europe, Alistair Low, stated that "policymakers have to decide" whether a ban for children is appropriate. He then summarized TikTok's position on the ban as "neutral" after parliamentarians asked him about it.
Wilfredo Fernandez, X's Director of Global Government Affairs, also described his company's position as "neutral for now," adding: "We don't work with children... globally, less than 1% of our user base is under 18 and over 13, in the UK it's less than half a percent, so we don't have a significant competitor in this fight."
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, took a somewhat stronger stance against the ban. Rebecca Stimson, Meta's Director of Public Policy for the UK, stated that she believes a ban would not "solve the problems the government is trying to solve."
Stimson also noted that children "are not a revenue source" for Meta due to advertising restrictions. British Labour Party MP Samantha Niblett seemed unconvinced by this argument and replied: "What's in it for you, to engage children? It seems you're making it ubiquitous in their lives, so that when they grow up, they become addicted to your platforms, and you can make money from that?"