Are social media bans the right solution?
The #SocialMediaBan capsule series exploring #IsABanAPlan
Prof. Sole Pera explains why the focus should be on creating safe digital environments for children.
Watch: youtu.be/m_AHY1Oj2zk
Visit: https://informationlabs.org/social-media-ban-repository/
media lab. | social media ban repository

Is a ban a plan? Academics, rights organisations, and policymakers across Europe and beyond are warning against blanket social media bans for minors.

information labs
A social media ban doesn’t fulfil governments’ UNCRC obligations—it outsources them.
Francesca Pisanu of Eurochild: when children turn to social media for support, it signals what governments have failed to provide.
New in the SMB Repository:
https://linkedin.com/pulse/governments-outsourcing-obligations-tech-francesca-pisanu-c9y9f
#isabanaplan
Governments Are Outsourcing Their Obligations to Tech. Francesca Pisanu of Eurochild Explains What That Costs Children.

The case for social media bans is typically framed as a child protection argument. Governments have a duty to keep children safe.

🔥 On 13 July, the EU Special Panel on Child Safety Online will hand its recommendations to EC President von der Leyen
Experts & civil society are loud & clear
Will the panel echo them, or back Australia’s & UK’s bans?
#isabanaplan #ChildOnlineSafety
🔗 www.linkedin.com/posts/j%C3%B...
🔥 140+ organisations & experts to EC: don't ban children, fix platform design!
A joint statement urges the EU to drop blanket age-based #SocialMediaBan plans & focus on safety-by-design
#isabanaplan
🔗 Joint statement on @5rightsfound.bsky.social website: https://5rightsfoundation.com/resource/joint-statement-on-potential-new-measures-for-child-online-safety-in-the-european-union/
Joint statement on potential new measures for child online safety in the European Union

A joint statement from more than 100 organisations and experts urging the European Commission to pursue safety-by-design regulation over blanket age-based social media bans - and to keep accountability where it belongs: with technology providers.

5rights
Will a digital age limit make children safer online?
The #SocialMediaBan capsule series exploring #IsABanAPlan
@francescapisanu.bsky.social (@eurochild-org.bsky.social) explains how safer design protect children's rights online.
🎥 youtu.be/KtppqrNKr0c
🌐 https://informationlabs.org/social-media-ban-repository/
media lab. | social media ban repository

Is a ban a plan? Academics, rights organisations, and policymakers across Europe and beyond are warning against blanket social media bans for minors.

information labs

Are we solving online harms or simply moving them somewhere else?

Forensic psychologist Jeffrey DeMarco argues that social media bans may create the appearance of safety without addressing the underlying causes of harm.

Read more 👇
https://linkedin.com/pulse/jeffrey-demarco-forensic-psychologist-he-thinks-ban-wrong-bnkse
#IsABanAPlan

Jeffrey DeMarco Is a Forensic Psychologist. He Thinks a Ban Is the Wrong Answer.

The debate around social media bans for minors tends to produce one of two responses. The first is dismissal: the harms are overstated, the panic is manufactured, children are resilient.

Are sSMB for children addressing the real problem?
The #SocialMediaBan capsule series exploring #IsABanAPlan
Jeffrey DeMarco (@savechildrenuk.bsky.social) discusses why blanket bans may shift harms rather than reduce them.
Watch: youtu.be/ESqWnbMQ6mg
Visit: https://informationlabs.org/social-media-ban-repository/
media lab. | social media ban repository

Is a ban a plan? Academics, rights organisations, and policymakers across Europe and beyond are warning against blanket social media bans for minors.

information labs
#isabanaplan
Von der Leyen mentioned a "delay" in Copenhagen. Australia's "social media delay" is actually 3 bans.
A ban on anonymity, a ban on curated content, and a ban on having a voice. One of these ends at 16. Two do not.
https://informationlabs.org/dont-be-fooled-what-australia-calls-a-social-media-delay-is-actually-a-triple-ban/
Age verification sounds like a safety measure. A leading cryptographer explains why it pushes children toward less regulated, less secure alternatives -- and why the infrastructure it requires carries risks that go well beyond the original intention. #isabanaplan
👉 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/age-verification-solution-bart-preneel-explains-why-technology-qdk0e/
Age Verification Is Not a Solution. Bart Preneel Explains Why the Technology Fails.

Blanket social media bans sound technical in their ambition. The logic seems straightforward: check the age, block the access, protect the child.

We’re launching a new capsule in our series tackling the question: #IsABanAPlan

Bart Preneel (KU Leuven) on why age verification may fall short—and highlights the risks for privacy, security, and the open internet.

watch: youtu.be/Ios3SQoPqbo
visit: https://informationlabs.org/social-media-ban-repository/

media lab. | social media ban repository

Is a ban a plan? Academics, rights organisations, and policymakers across Europe and beyond are warning against blanket social media bans for minors.

information labs