Editorial | Children on social media

Christopher Tufton last week invited health professionals to lobby for restrictions, or a full ban, on access to social media by Jamaican children under the age of 16.

Should it institute such a rule, Jamaica would join a growing legion of countries that have introduced, or are contemplating, measures to protect young people from the perceived harm of these platforms.

There ought, indeed, to be serious national discussion on the matters raised by the health minister, which, in their broader context, are within purview of health and wellness, and therefore an appropriate subject for attention by Dr Tufton.

His portfolio aside, as a citizen concerned with the wellbeing of fellow Jamaicans, especially the island’s citizens, Tufton has a right to publicly air his views on this, or any subject, and to invite others to action.

However, if he is genuinely convinced of the merits of his proposed solutions to what he sees as a serious problem, he is in a better position than most, including doctors and nurses, hospital managers or healthcare researchers, to engage in more than peripheral advocacy. He has a real platform from which to initiate specific action.

As a member of the Cabinet, the principal instrument of government policy, Dr Tufton could have, or can raise the issue at the weekly meeting of ministers, proposing that Andrew Wheatley, the minister with responsibility for science and technology, take legislation to Parliament on the matter. Or perhaps Dr Wheatley might prefer first to issue a green paper on the subject, inviting further debate.

PUBLIC’S BACKING

Although it could be that Dr Tufton has already taken the step of positing the issue in Cabinet, and is now seeking the public’s backing in pushing the matter forward.

Alternatively, Dr Tufton, in his role as a member of Parliament could raise the issue in the House as a health and wellness question, framed perhaps as ministerial statement or ministry paper, thus inviting the legislature to debate the concerns.

Or, he could prod one of his colleagues on the backbenches to table a private member’s motion on the subject, with a request that the matter be referred to a joint select committee of both houses of Parliament for review, including public hearings, to which interested parties would be invited to make submissions.

Any route Jamaica uses to advance discussion of this topic would bring the island to the centre of an intensifying global debate on the effect of unrestricted access to social media can have on young, impressionable minds, and the obligations of these platforms to protect children from harm.

In December, Australia became the first country to impose a total ban on access to social media of children under 16, although France’s national assembly recently passed a similar bill. Spain, Denmark and Norway are also considering similar laws, while Britain has a law imposing obligations, on pain of stiff penalties, on social media platforms to prevent children’s access to harmful information.

Even some US states, notably Utah, have passed laws, as part of a broader accountability mechanism against big tech, that would require app stores to verify the ages of users.

UNFILTERED MATERIAL

Among the growing concerns of policymakers is that largely unfiltered material on the internet, especially social media, often exposes children to gratuitous violence, pornography and misinformation that lead to risky behaviour or affect mental health. Additionally, officials worry about possible addiction to social media and the potential negative effects on general health.

In a speech to the national conference of health researchers, Dr Tufton aired his concerns not only about the impact on children, but the generally coarse behaviour he often encounters on social media.

He said: “As an adult, I am appalled by some of the things I see on social media, some of the opinions that have been expressed, some of the vitriol and the evil that is manifested, not just in faraway lands, [but] right here in Jamaica,” he said.

“People attack each other, attack character, make up stories, set new standards of behaviour that, to my mind, to an open and fertile learning brain in the form of a young person, is deforming them for life and creating a much worse society for the future generation than for us as adults.

“We are creating a society of young people who will eventually become adults, who, through overexposure and negative reinforced exposure, with social media being the core of that, are either going to be exceptionally challenged by mental health-related issues or… behaviour and choices that will lead to a much more challenging period beyond the age of consent, when they, in fact, can make decisions.”

It was in that context the minister called on health professionals “ to be part of that lobby, to say, ‘if you’re 16 years or younger, we should regulate, moderate or even totally avoid social media exposure to our young people’ .”

While this newspaper generally agrees with Dr Tufton’s concerns, we are generally aware that regulation can take forms, sometimes with unforeseen consequences. Which is why regulations should be seriously considered, with probably seamless application among members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).