UK looking at extending under-16 ban to eBay and Vinted
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has confirmed that the government is considering extending its under-16 social media ban to shopping platform such as Vinted and eBay.
Asked on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme whether the government was looking to ban under-16s from Vinted and eBay, Nandy said: “We are looking seriously at doing so in order to keep children safe.”
Reports suggest that Vinted, Depop, eBay and Facebook Marketplace could all face the ban, although these platforms bans are likely to be introduced in a second wave once the initial social media ban ha taken place.
HotMinute reported in October Close to half of teens are already planning to move to alternative apps to circumvent the government’s upcoming restrictions on major social media platforms.
The government plans to impose age restrictions on social media applications, preventing those under 16 years old from accessing platforms such as Instagram and Reddit.
As a result of these measures, millions of people in Britain will face age assurance checks from social media platforms next year, and they will need to prove their identity using photo ID matching, digital ID, facial age estimation, or a banking check.
Research from Opinium for EE has found that ahead of the upcoming ban 42% of young people aged between 11 and 15 are planning to move to apps not covered by the restrictions, and 44% are already discussing alternatives with their friends.
Possible workarounds to the ban could include VPN usage, or switching to alternative messaging apps, gaming sites, and lesser-known social platforms not covered by the ban’s protections.
Ironically, this behaviour could lead young people to platforms that are exposed to the very risks these restrictions were designed to prevent.
While just 44% of parents are aware that the social media ban will take effect in march, nearly all teachers surveyed by Opinium expect at least some of their pupils to succeed in somehow dodging the ban.
The pressure on young people from their friends to remain online and connected via social media is significant.
