‘An inconvenience’: Leeds weighs in on the government’s plans for social media

In the week, news broke that government controls on social media messaging across several apps could include Ebay, Vinted, and Youtube Kids.

The new rules, which are due to be implemented in March 2027, will be heard in Parliament in December by MPs.

We asked frequent users of social media in Leeds whether they thought the government were doing enough to protect children online.

Some experts claim that children will simply find a way around the new rules and move to other apps.

Former teacher Steve Pitman said: “I think it is a positive thing, particularly the use of phones and devices in school which I feel very strongly about.

“I think they’re a huge distraction.

“It wouldn’t hurt kids being without their phones during school days, at least.”

Others noted that they felt like the government were targeting the wrong apps, rather than focusing on the ones that are more popular.

Corin Dunston said: “It also feels like they’re doing it on the wrong platforms.

“I feel like it’s more important to limits on things like Instagram, especially for kids.

“I don’t know if Ebay could be that dangerous for children, whereas it feels like it’s way more dangerous to have social media like Tiktok and Instagram.”

A fact sheet produced by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) states that the plan is to adopt the same model that Australia is utilising for a social media ban, and will include restrictions on “high-risk features” such as live streams and being able to message anyone on selected platforms freely.

Corin added: “The content restrictions they do put in, they don’t seem to actually work because you can just pretend you’re 18.”

Eva Moore noted that the duty of care surrounding the plans remained an important factor.

She said: “I think it’s good to be concerned about what kids are being exposed to, but also they’re not necessarily doing it in the best way.

“It’s not like they’re actually seeing less of anything like that.”

Naomi King pointed out that restricting messaging features on certain apps will create hassle if people need to get in touch with someone.

She said: “I think it’s important to protect kids safety, but I think it would be an inconvenience people using the apps if they can’t message.

“I feel like you kind of need that for the purpose of a lot of the apps.”

Leeds-based youth groups welcomed the plans earlier on in the year, seeing it as an opportune moment to emphasise the value of real-world experiences, such as outdoors activities where meaningful bonds can be formed between communities in the city.

Up to 150 platforms are said to be included in the proposals for Spring.