POLL: Should we be considering a ban on social media for Irish teens?

Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to implement a ban on social media for children under the age of 15 after a fatal stabbing by a 14-year-old in a school in Nogent. Many in France have attributed the incident and the spread of such incidents to the availability of harmful content on social media. 

Macron also announced that an age verification would soon be imposed in France on websites that sell knives. The French Government have already progressed with legislation for pornographic websites to verify the ages of site visitors. 

France is being backed by Greece and Spain in its efforts to get EU support to limit the time teenagers spend on social media sites. And perhaps, Ireland could soon join this crusade.

According to CyberSafeKids, an Irish Charity, 94% of children aged between 8 and 12 have a smart phone, while 99% of children between 12 and 14 have one. These figures come from a study conducted during the 2023/2024 academic year with 7,000 children in Ireland.

Some particularly concerning statistics from the report state that 77% of 8 to 12-year-olds said their parents can't see what they are doing online and 83% can use devices in their bedrooms. Additionally, almost 65% were contacted by a stranger during an online game.

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Just last month, Tánaiste Simon Harris described the situation with children and social media as a "ticking time bomb." The comments came after Australia became the first country in the world to pass laws banning social media for children under 16, meaning it will be the duty of the social media companies to verify the ages of its users or face hefty fines. 

There is definitely an increased focus on the potential harm social media and smart phone usage is having on young children by legislators and the public but whether it will be acted upon is another thing.

Do you think this legislation would fix the problem? Or is this a problem that runs much deeper?