The Great Scroll: Why an Under-16s Social Media Ban is Just the Beginning

Last week’s news about the government proposing a blanket ban on social media for under-16s sent the internet into an absolute meltdown. Some people were crying "censorship!", but honestly, it got me thinking. We are living in an era where we are consuming vast quantities of absolute garbage, and we’re all a bit stuck in a dopamine pit. 🕳️

​I decided to tackle the elephant in the room with my ICT group this week. We broke the ice by chatting about the new Toy Story 5 trailer—where the main villain isn't a malicious toy, but a highly addictive tablet. 📺 It perfectly set the stage for a deep dive into how algorithms are designed to keep us scrolling.

​I expected teenage outrage about the ban. Instead, we had an incredibly mature discussion.

The Dopamine Pit and the Lost Art of Boredom

There are plenty of studies out there showing how short-form videos—those endless TikToks and Instagram Reels—are actively reducing our attention spans. You get a little mini-reward every thirty seconds, and it genuinely rewires your brain. We're seeing suggestions that this constant stimulation is impacting reading abilities in schools and the general capacity to just sit and concentrate.

Think about it: people can barely sit through a full-length film anymore. We've reached a point where television series have to start with a recap just to keep us engaged.

There was a brilliant bit of reporting on BBC News recently that perfectly captured this. They were recording in a school, talking to students about the proposed ban, and unsurprisingly, none of them were in favour. One young girl argued she needed her phone to keep in contact with friends. The reporter then gently pointed out her digital wellbeing app, which showed she’d been on her phone for nine hours over the weekend.

"What are you going to do with those nine hours instead?" the reporter asked.

Her response? *"Probably look at the wall."*

It’s a funny, incredibly teenage answer, but it highlights a massive issue. Algorithms have conditioned us to require immediate entertainment. By eliminating boredom, we've lost the quiet mental space where creativity, self-reflection, and emotional processing typically occur.

Confessions of a Scroller

Don't get me wrong, I am definitely consuming too much myself. I'll catch myself watching something on TV and suddenly I'm down an internet rabbit hole: *What's he been in? Who else plays for that team? That international player, what club does he play for?* Before I know it, I've lost an hour.

However, we have to separate the platform from the device. Smartphones are wonderful tools. They allow us to do our banking, our shopping, and navigate our communities. Personally, most of my screen time on a typical day is taken up by music apps and Waze. I would be much more in favour of banning the highly addictive social media platforms for kids, whilst still allowing them to have smartphones for those essential, independent living skills.

The Adolescent Brain Under Siege

While social media offers a sense of connection, its architecture is specifically designed to capture and hold attention. During the teenage years, the brain is uniquely sensitive to social feedback, peer acceptance, and reward. This makes young people incredibly vulnerable to algorithmic design.

Here is what that looks like in practice:

• The Comparison Trap: Social media presents a curated, filtered reality. Constant exposure to idealised bodies and lifestyles leads to upward social comparison. For young women especially, this is strongly correlated with body dysmorphia, anxiety, and the exhausting pressure of perfectionism.
• Sleep Disruption: The blue light from screens suppresses melatonin, delaying sleep. Beyond that, the "vampire routine" encouraged by infinite scrolling leads to chronic sleep deprivation, worsening mood and cognitive performance
• 24/7 Cyberbullying: Historically, bullying stopped when you got home. Now, harassment follows young people into their bedrooms. It’s inescapable, amplified by the ability to share humiliating content instantly, and often worsened by the anonymity of fake accounts.
• The Permanent Digital Footprint: Teenagers are biologically prone to impulsivity, but the internet is forever. A poorly judged comment or a private photo can be screenshotted and weaponised, impacting university admissions and future employment. 

Key insight: The relationship between social media and mental health is often described as a "dose-response" effect. Moderate use (under an hour) has minimal impact, but the risks escalate sharply once you pass the three-hour mark.

The Silver Lining: Why Technology is Neutral

Because this technology exploits natural psychological vulnerabilities, simply telling a teenager to "put the phone down" rarely works without addressing the underlying design of the apps. Yet, it’s important to remember that the technology itself is neutral. The exact same infrastructure has birthed incredibly positive outcomes.

• Niche Community Building: Social media removes geographic barriers. Someone with a rare medical condition or a highly specific hobby can instantly connect with thousands of others globally for support and camaraderie.
• Democratisation of Voice: Anyone with a smartphone can now broadcast to the world, enabling citizen journalism and allowing marginalised groups to organise without needing traditional media gatekeepers.
• Economic Opportunity: The "creator economy" allows a local artisan or independent bookshop to compete. A small business doesn't need a billboard; they can spend a few pounds to target people who genuinely love their craft.
• Rapid Crisis Response: During natural disasters or missing person cases, these networks mobilise resources and coordinate relief efforts far faster than traditional broadcasts.

Behind the Curtain: The Attention Economy

To understand why our feeds look the way they do, we have to look at the mechanics. Think of cookies as the information gatherers and algorithms as the decision makers.

Cookies track your behaviour across the web. If you look at running shoes on a retail site, a third-party cookie notes it. When you open an app later, the algorithm uses that data, combined with your on-platform behaviour, to predict what will keep you engaged.

These algorithms aren't programmed to care about nuance, truth, or public wellbeing. They care about *engagement*. This drives emotional contagion—amplifying polarising, outrage-inducing content because it keeps people typing furiously in the comments. It isolates us in echo chambers, making our own opinions feel absolute.

Ultimately, social media is free because *we* are the product. The platforms gather our data, hold our attention, and sell highly targeted access to advertisers. Shaping public opinion is often just a byproduct of this massive monetisation machine.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Banning social media for under-16s might be a starting point, but it isn't a silver bullet. I genuinely think it's a good idea for everyone—regardless of age—to set strict digital wellbeing targets.

More than anything, we need better digital literacy. We need to educate people that consuming endless streams of short-form videos is harmful, but we also need to teach them how to harness the immense positives this technology offers. We have to learn to control the algorithm, rather than letting it control us.

“This text was conceived and directed by a human, using Voice-to-Text and AI assistance to overcome a dyslexia induced literacy barrier.”

The Great Digital Reset: Making Sense of the Under-16 Social Media Ban

Yesterday, the government dropped a rather significant policy shift onto our newsfeeds: a complete block on social media, including platforms like YouTube, for all under-16s. Almost instantly, the comment sections lit up. Some of the louder voices immediately cried foul, labelling it an act of draconian censorship or a conspiratorial push for digital IDs.

Honestly? I don't buy that for a single minute. To me, throwing around the word 'censorship' in this context feels like a fully-fledged conspiracy theory. While I firmly believe in protecting our personal rights, we also have to face facts: we are living in a day and age where millions of us are consuming vast, terrifying quantities of digital trash.

Falling into the Dopamine Pit

Let's be candid about what a lot of this content actually is. It isn't enriching our lives; it is, effectively, absolute garbage.

When it comes to short-form videos and reels, we are quite literally rewiring our brains. We get stuck in what I call a 'dopamine pit'—a constant cycle of receiving a mini-reward every thirty seconds. It's a phenomenon backed up by science, too. For instance, recent research from King’s College London highlighted that half of the UK public feel their attention span is shorter than it used to be. You can see this creeping into our schools, where there are genuine concerns about how this rapid-fire consumption is impacting reading abilities and the basic capacity to sit and concentrate.

We’ve even reached a point where sitting down to watch a two-hour film feels like a marathon for some. Television series are now frequently having to start with lengthy recaps just to remind viewers what happened a mere week ago.

 "Probably Look at the Wall"

There was a fascinating piece on BBC News recently that perfectly captured the scale of the issue. A reporter was visiting a school, chatting with students about the impending ban. Unsurprisingly, not a single one of them was in favour.

One young girl argued that she desperately needed her apps to keep in touch with friends. The reporter gently pointed out her digital wellbeing tracker, noting she had spent a staggering nine hours on her phone over the weekend. When asked what on earth she was going to do with those nine hours instead, her deadpan response was: *"Probably look at the wall."*

It’s a funny, slightly tragic comment that highlights just how deeply ingrained these habits have become. But it also points to a vital nuance we often miss.

The Tool vs. The Trap

We have to separate the trap of social media from the tool of the smartphone. Smartphones are, objectively, wonderful inventions. They empower us to manage our banking, do our shopping, and confidently navigate around our communities.

Because of this, I would be much more in favour of a targeted ban on social media whilst still allowing under-16s to use smartphones for independent living skills. We shouldn't strip away the tools that make modern life accessible; we just need to filter out the noise.

Navigating Our Own Digital Wellbeing

Don't get me wrong, I am hardly standing on a pedestal here. I readily admit that I consume far too much myself. For me, it doesn't usually manifest as mindless scrolling, but rather as endless, obsessive rabbit holes. I’ll be watching a programme and suddenly think, *"Ooh, what's he been in? Who else plays for that team? That international player, what club does he play for?"  Before I know it, an hour has vanished.

When I actually check my own screen time on a typical day, the bulk of it is taken up by music apps and Waze, which I rely on to navigate around the community. It’s functional, but it’s still screen time. It is exactly why I think it’s a brilliant idea for absolutely everyone—adults included—to set their own digital wellbeing targets.

The Way Forward: Digital Literacy

Ultimately, bans and blocks can only do so much. What we desperately need in this country is a massive push for digital literacy.

We need to educate people—especially the younger generations—that excessive consumption of short-form video and social media is genuinely bad for their mental and cognitive health. But equally, we need to educate them about the immense positives. We need to teach them how to harness these incredible pocket-sized computers to better their lives, rather than letting the algorithms dictate their days. Only when we strike that balance can we truly put the 'smart' back into smartphones

“This text was conceived and directed by a human, using Voice-to-Text and AI assistance to overcome a dyslexia induced literacy barrier.”

Beyond the Shiny Toy: Pragmatism and Pedagogy in Digital Leadership

I was recently reflecting—speaking my thoughts aloud using voice-to-text software to catch them before they fluttered away—about an exciting, albeit daunting, potential opportunity. I’ve been considering putting myself forward for the Digital Strategy Lead position at New Friars. It’s a prospect that has forced me to ask myself some rather difficult questions. Can I develop our AI capabilities? Absolutely. Can I coach colleagues to use these tools safely? Without a doubt. I’ve led numerous projects and, after a reassuring chat with an old mentor who is now a Head, I feel confident in my leadership credentials.

Yet, stepping into a role like this isn't just about enthusiasm; it’s about acknowledging the immense accountability that comes with it. If I'm honest, I feel a bit out of the loop regarding the college’s current digital ambitions—I haven't caught up with Rob recently to gauge the exact temperature of things. But my core philosophy remains clear: a successful digital strategy cannot be built on guesswork.

The Weight of Accountability

When you take the helm of a digital strategy, you aren't just playing with new software; you are playing with the college's purse strings. In today's climate, every penny counts. With organisations like the Institute for Fiscal Studies repeatedly highlighting the intense, ongoing squeeze on Further Education budgets across the UK, the stakes are undeniably high.

What I desperately want to avoid is making an expensive, poorly judged decision that drains resources without delivering any tangible impact in the classroom. We’ve all seen it happen—the rushed purchase of a system that quickly becomes a white elephant. Balancing the desire for innovation with the reality of tight finances is the tightrope any digital leader must walk.

Building the Foundations, Not Just Chasing Easy Wins

It is incredibly tempting to chase the "short-term win" to prove immediate value. We all love a quick victory. But a truly robust digital strategy demands a pragmatic, long-term vision. We have to ask ourselves: where do we want New Friars to be in five, or even ten, years?

Sometimes, leadership means ignoring the immediate, short-sighted goals to build proper foundations. Take artificial intelligence, for example. If you want to roll out a fully integrated AI system, you fundamentally must have the internet bandwidth to support it. The absolute worst-case scenario is having a handful of staff experimenting with AI, entirely absorbing the network's bandwidth, and inadvertently crashing a lesson in the classroom next door. Infrastructure must precede innovation.

Pedagogy First, Technology Second

It frustrates me endlessly when I see a lack of foundational AI literacy. Moving forward, I firmly believe that AI literacy must be compulsory for both staff and students. However, our approach must be proactive, not reactive. We cannot afford to be distracted by the "shiny toy" syndrome, adopting tech simply because it's new.

The learner's needs and the impact on teaching must always come first. We have to work backwards from there. What are the administrative pinch points? How can we reduce staff workload by using AI safely and ethically? It’s about leveraging technology to clear the path for what really matters: teaching.

Crucially, this brings us to safeguarding. There are strict boundaries we must never cross. Personal details should never be fed into open AI platforms, and we must fiercely maintain the "human in the loop." AI is a fantastic tool for summarising evidence or streamlining tasks, but it should never be the decision-maker. Teaching staff, drawing upon their wealth of experience and professional judgement, must remain the ultimate arbiters of evidence and assessment.

Taking on a digital strategy role isn't just about loving technology; it's about leading with caution, vision, and an unwavering commitment to the humans at the heart of the institution. Have you noticed a shift in how your own workplace balances the rush of new technology with the need for long-term stability?

“This text was conceived and directed by a human, using Voice-to-Text and AI assistance to overcome a dyslexia induced literacy barrier.”