By Rob McLaren, Insights Manager
Since Australia became the first nation in the world to ban social media for under-16s in December, the question on everybody’s lips has been: will the UK be next?
This month, an affirmative to that question became less likely. Westminster MPs rejected an amendment to institute an Australia-style ban in the UK by a vote of 307 to 173. This margin, while large, suggests the debate will rage on. Indeed, the proposal has attracted the support of large swathes of the state, including the House of Lords and the opposition Conservatives.
While the intention of the proposed ban – reducing children’s exposure to potential harms online – is universally supported, many on both sides of the debate have suggested that a ban would be ineffective. Tech firms have opposed the bans on multiple fronts, including free speech grounds, and have argued that banning social media could increase social isolation. On the other hand, some academics have suggested that banning social media is ineffective because teens will always find workarounds.
Recent reporting from Reuters suggests the Australian ban has had mixed success. While social media usage had fallen among 13-to-15-year-olds, one-fifth were still accessing TikTok and Snapchat. VPN downloads increased as the ban was implemented, though have stabilised since.
As regulators wade through uncharted territory down under, the UK may have parked a proposed ban for now, but ministers have been granted new powers to restrict social media features. From this has emerged greater scrutiny of the design of platforms keeping British youth engaged for hours daily. Ofcom has given social media companies until the end of April to share information on how they are curbing online harm. Additionally, the government has launched a three-month pilot involving 150 children to trial new ways to reduce screen time.
All of this will have significant implications for UK advertisers. While most do not advertise directly to children, the resultant legislation from the government’s ongoing consultation will directly impact all social media users. Should stricter measures be imposed on tech platforms to curb excessive screen time, the inventory available to brands may be reduced. The rules of the attention economy may need to be rewritten.
As the FT reported last year, by some metrics the world may have already reached peak social media. While that claim is debatable, should the algorithms be forced to change to reduce infinite scrolling, consumers’ attention will likely shift elsewhere. Consider the IPA’s Touchpoints data: for all the fragmentation of media habits, our time spent with media daily has barely (lockdown excluded) changed in two decades. If one channel loses out, another stands to gain – though which is unknown.
While an immediate ban appears unlikely, brands could benefit from early scenario planning in the event of platform changes. By prioritising “conscious” media time where consumers actively engage, including high-attention social media environments, brands can safeguard against future shocks. Social media will continue to play an essential role in the media toolkit, but as always, diversification of channel spend is key.
