Social Media

 

Our daily interaction with social media resembles a compulsion more than a choice, a reflection brought to the forefront by a small argument I had with my wife today. The context of our debate lies in the UK government’s plans to ban social media use for under-16s. Whilst my wife is of the opinion that such a ban is cruel and that youngsters should instead learn how to use these platforms, I find myself firmly in favour of the restriction.

I cannot simply assume that young people are capable of making good judgements regarding these platforms. My disagreement is rooted in what I observe at home; our own child seems entirely incapable of exercising discretion online. He believes everything he hears on these platforms, whilst completely disregarding us when we tell him otherwise. He cannot even differentiate between a prank and a true story, refusing to trust me when I attempt to explain that what he has watched is merely a joke. 

However, this constant digital connection presents certain persistent challenges to his daily life. He spends hours watching YouTube shorts and playing games. His screen time has dominated his routine to the extent that he watches YouTube during meals—leaving me to doubt whether he even tastes the food he is eating. He watches videos whilst brushing his teeth, taking a shower, doing his homework, and even when reading his mandatory books from school. Consequently, he cannot comprehend what he reads. 

I do not assume that all children are like this, but when I look at adults like ourselves, we also spend hours scrolling. The only difference is that we occasionally check the time so that we do not miss the work we have to do. I suspect we are not the only ones, and that other adults probably suffer from a similar issue.

Yet, my point is actually much bigger, as social media actively spreads fake news. In recent weeks, I have seen numerous AI-generated videos on Instagram spreading fake news about how dangerous London is. Having lived in London and travelled around the city frequently, I have never witnessed any of these horrible crimes. There must be a campaign against London, and sadly, Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and J.D. Vance are part of it—seemingly targeting our mayor simply because he is non-white and a Muslim, even though he was re-elected three times because people approve of his job.

Furthermore, there is a relentless obsession with getting likes and clicks, whatever the price. We see young people live-streaming themselves driving the wrong way in Ireland, causing car crashes, or risking their lives for stunts in the hope of social media approval. Feeds are constantly bombarded with conspiracy theories and fake stories about our own government and politicians, leaving people delusional about reality. In the end, we are left wondering how it is that people have lost trust in politics and public institutions.

Ultimately, we can survive without social media, but we are worse off with it. Bearing in mind these heavy disruptions to our lives, a social media ban would be a redemption—saving us from our addiction and allowing us to get our lives back.