"When I was 12, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, which triggered a rare nerve condition that has paralysed me. My preteen years were spent in an ICU ward, on a ventilator, going through chemotherapy. Before I got sick I did not have any social media. It turned out that all I had to do was end up in a coma, because when I woke, I had a new iPhone14, with every accessibility feature."
"Having Instagram and Snapchat made me feel less disconnected. I had a window into the outside world, and my friends had a window into my world between hospital visits. Social media is a powerful thing, especially for teenagers transitioning into adulthood. And I understand why there is a need to restrict it or monitor it, especially for children and young teenagers."
"If banning social media for kids under 16 is a response to a mental health crisis among young people, shouldn't it consider all young people? What about those who are isolated? Those who are in hospital or managing a chronic health condition or disability that means they can't participate in the world in the same way as other teenagers their age?"
Government policy will ban social media for under-16s from Wednesday, which risks harming teenagers who rely on online platforms for connection and access. A teenager with a severe disability uses social media to maintain relationships, follow sports teams, and access communities while hospitalized or living with paralysis. Social media provided critical windows into the outside world during lengthy hospital stays and enabled direct contact with peers and athletes. Evidence does not establish a clear cause-and-effect link between social media use and adolescent physical or mental health. A blanket ban would exclude isolated, hospitalized, or chronically ill young people and could deepen their social exclusion.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]