Social Media and it's Negative Impact on our Under 16s

Preventing the under-16s from using social media would be ‘transformative’ according to an Oxfordshire Headteacher who has banned mobile phone use in her school.

“The content being pushed onto young people’s screens is deeply concerning, often inappropriate, and increasingly targeted. With so many teenagers reporting that they have been exposed to harmful material - including self-harm content - and explicit imagery we must question how, as a nation, we can deem this acceptable,” said Kirsty Rogers, head of Aureus School in Didcot.

The pioneering school, a member of the GLF Schools Multi Academy Trust, banned the use of mobile phones in September 2024 and the students have to keep them in a locked pouch during the day. The move has had impressive results. And Ms Rogers is backing the proposal to ban all social media for the under-16s, as Australia has already done, a move currently being debated in the Houses of Parliament.

“Our phone ban has been transformative to the attention in lessons, and engagement throughout the day. Students are socialising in person and engaging in sport and activities during social times, rather than being fixated on a screen,” said Ms Rogers.

Adults may never encounter content that teenagers, in particular, are exposed to via social media platforms.

“This strongly suggests that young people are being deliberately targeted by algorithms that prioritise engagement over wellbeing. Our responsibility is clear: we must take decisive action to protect the children from online environments that are not designed with their safety in mind,” added MsRogers.

A vote this week in the House of Lords backed the ban, a Conservative amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. It wasn’t supported by the government but will have to be considered by the House of Commons.

The government is already considering the ban as part of a consultation due to report in the summer and which Aureus School has been involved with. A member of staff  has been advising the House of Lords panel on how best to restrict the use of mobile phones, which sees students at Aureus School lock them in a pouch when can only be unlocked when leaving the site.

Deputy Headteacher Lucy Dasgupata joined a GP, police commissioner, and the chief executive of Parentkind for a panel discussion in the Lords with Baroness Barran, Lord Hampton, Lord Nash and Lord Storey in November. She told the panel that the removal of the temptation along with the lack of incidents rapidly escalating were reflected in the phone ban. She said it also meant the students could still have their phone for travelling to and from schools, which may be essential.