JOHN Swinney is considering a ban on social media for under-16s.
The First Minister told reporters on Wednesday that there was a “strong argument” for the move, after the Australian government brought in a headline-grabbing ban last month.
It will make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, Twitter/X, and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (£25 million) for systemic failures to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts.
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese has said the ban is about making the “safety and mental health of our young people” a priority.
The UK Government holds powers over online safety, and Swinney said he had discussed the policy with Labour ministers – who have previously said it is “on the table” for the UK.
Swinney said a ban would need to "strike the right balance".
The SNP leader said: "The Scottish Government will look at the measures that are necessary to tackle the effects, the negative effects, that come from social media on young people."
"It's vital that we are alert and aware of the potential threats that can exist, whilst acknowledging that there are many benefits of social media activity,” he added.
The Australian ban has split opinion in the UK.
Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, chair of Refuge charity, said in November that it was “absolutely the right way to go”.
“Personally, I think it’s a brilliant idea, and I think it ties really neatly in with the work we do around tech abuse,” she said.
“If you can do it in a way in which you don’t isolate young people, which is the other challenge, and we can turn that into the norm, then I think it’s absolutely the right way to go.”
Andy Burrows, the chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, said such bans undermined the aim of online safety regulation, which would force social media platforms to make their sites safe and age appropriate.
The foundation was set up by the family of Molly Russell, who ended her life aged 14 in 2017 after viewing harmful content on social media.
“Banning under-16s from social media is a retrograde step that would push risks and bad actors on to gaming and messaging services and leave young people at a cliff edge of harm when they turn 16,” Burrows said.
“It is crucial the UK Government delivers strengthened legislation to make online platforms safe and age appropriate rather than bans that would erase the benefits of regulation and come with a slew of unintended consequences.
“Children should not be punished for the failures of tech platforms nor the delayed response from successive governments.”
