The UK social media ban for under-16s does nothing to sort out the harms caused by platforms.

Harmful content is a product of a business model that uses data to drive engagement and target users with ads.

Digital ID checks feed more data into this system, while leaving the engine for harms unchecked.

Read our response ⬇️

https://www.openrightsgroup.org/press-releases/starmers-social-media-ban-fails-to-address-root-causes-of-online-harms/

#socialmediaban #socialmedia #stopkillinginternet #ukpolitics #ukpol #onlinesafety #ageverification #StopKillingInternet #StopKillingTheInternet

Starmer’s social media ban fails to address root causes of online harms

Open Rights Group has responded to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s announcement that the Government will ban social media, including gaming sites, for under 16s in the UK.

Open Rights Group

A social media ban addresses the symptoms, not the cause of online harms.

Platforms rely on extensive data collection to target ads and keep users online for longer.

Algorithms prioritise content most likely to capture attention and drive interaction, spreading harmful, polarising and addictive content.

#socialmediaban #socialmedia #starmer #stopkillinginternet #ukpolitics #ukpol #onlinesafety #ageverification #digitalid #privacy #censorship

An under-16s ban means making every adult prove they're over 16 for access.

The data shared for age verification can also be used by platforms and the wider data broker ecosystem to send you ads and customised content.

It's a policy that fuels the very business model that generates online harms.

#socialmediaban #socialmedia #starmer #stopkillinginternet #ukpolitics #ukpol #onlinesafety #ageverification #digitalid #privacy #censorship

@openrightsgroup

Sounds like we need to build our own 'Net. I won't accept cookies, I leave and mark every site that does.