the best interests of children \u2013 a concept recognised in international law<\/a>,\u201d said Fava.<\/p>\n\u201cArguably, proponents of a ban place an over-emphasis on rights to privacy and safety and overlook the many benefits of social media access for children \u2013 the ability to learn and be creative, among others \u2013 as well as the other relevant rights at play under international law, including children\u2019s rights to play and leisure time and to freedom of expression,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cImplementing a ban would come with problems \u2013 for example: how to effectively address the risk of circumvention; how to address risks associated with young people gaining overnight access to a digital environment that they have no prior experience of; and how to ensure vulnerable children can get access to support services,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore targeted interventions on specific features and functionalities of social media platforms, such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, and personalised algorithms, would be a more proportionate response and build on existing obligations platforms face under UK frameworks. Under the UK GDPR, for example, platforms have obligations in respect of privacy-by-design, fair processing and profiling, while risks associated with children spending long periods of time on social media are also something platforms might be expected to act on following their children\u2019s risk assessments under the Online Safety Act and to avoid detrimental uses of data flagged in the Information Commissioner’s Office\u2019s \u2018children\u2019s code\u2019,\u201d according to Fava.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany platforms already see the direction of travel on the issue of \u2018stickiness\u2019 and, notwithstanding the lack of conclusive research around the impact on children\u2019s mental health, are already making it easier for children and parents to limit screentime. Platforms now have an opportunity to encourage the UK government to ensure that any further regulatory intervention is aligned with that already taken in the EU under the Digital Services Act, to enable consistency in what technical measures need to be deployed cross-border,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is important is that children are given their place in feeding their thoughts in on any prospective ban or restrictions. While there may be some parents that would welcome a ban as a solution to the problem of keeping up with fast-moving changing technologies and practices, children will have their own ideas about what constitutes their \u2018best interests\u2019 in relation to balancing the benefits of having access to services with the acknowledgement of potential harms that can arise from that,\u201d Fava added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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