What do young people in NI think about the social media ban for under-16s?

For 15-year-old Shea, it should be "improved not blocked," while Siya says that it "helps young people with homework" and Sophia thinks they should be taught to use it "safely".

These Year 11 pupils are, of course, talking about social media and the recently announced ban for under-16s by spring 2027.

The ban was announced by the government on Monday.

Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X are among the platforms affected - but not WhatsApp or Signal, the government said.

Northern Ireland's education minister said it was a "profound" change.

It is "almost like a warzone in some houses to try and control the amount of access our young people have to the mobile phone technology," said Paul Givan.

Australia introduced a social media ban for children in December 2025. The UK government said it would follow this model.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme, Givan said the harm caused by social media "far outweighs any benefits".

He said young people accessing social media at a young age was one of the main drivers that lead to low self esteem.

Givan said the introduction of mobile inhibiting technology introduced to schools had a transformative impact.

"It is a constant battle... we ought to come alongside as a government and support our parents to give it more effect."

"This is needed, I believe it can work, I think it can be effective.

"The responsibility here is on the technology companies to put in effective measures to prevent [young people] accessing this technology and it has proven to be successful [in Australia]," he added.

Pupils at Malone Integrated College in Belfast gave the programme their thoughts.

Shea said social media should be "improved, not completely blocked".

"There's stuff on YouTube that kids need like tutorials, guides or stuff like that."

One example Shea gave was coding where people go on YouTube and learn how to do it.

"Yes there's bad stuff on it but I feel like it should be improved not completely taken away", Shea said.

He added that young people who are being given this technology from a young age "don't have anything else to do".

"There's nothing out there for kids to do, there's just parks and clubs but at the minute parents are struggling to be able to pay for stuff."

Siya said most of the "resources as pupils are online and interactions with our friends are online" and described the internet as an "essential thing that we use daily".

"We all know this and hear about the dangers of social media and how it impacts us - shouldn't those who are in charge of the apps and those who are in charge, they should be held accountable?"

She added that social media "really does help us with our studies and social lives".

Concerns have been raised about tools such as virtual private networks (VPNs) being used to get around these measures, and Siya said people "will always try to get workarounds".

Sophia said she uses YouTube a lot for GCSE revision purposes so the fact that it is part of the ban is "quite shocking".

She said by 16 or 17 young people might "not be as confident with our online presence because we haven't had the exposure to it".

"So we're limiting our online competence instead of becoming better at it.

"I have seen the impact on friends, but I also think it's a lot more about teaching people how to use it safely."

Dr Claire Sinton is a paediatrician and a member of the group Smartphone Free Childhood in Londonderry, which campaigns for tougher rules on social media access for under-16s.

She says that social media platforms are "entirely unsuitable for children".

"If you were to look at this as a product, it would never pass any sort of safety testing," she told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme.

"The government has been pushed into this, parents and campaigners have been pushing for years for this.

"This is going to change the cultural norm and this is going to make it so much easier for families to fight back against it.

"I feel that this is such a win for parents, such a win for campaigners but ultimately such a win for children."

But Ulster University cyber security expert, Professor Kevin Curran, described a blanket age ban as a "blunt instrument".

"This is a ridiculous policy which exemplifies using a sledgehammer to kill a fly," he says.

"It's a virtue-signalling policy masked as protecting children," he said.

He said it would lead to "kids finding an alternative".

"It will drive it underground and it will lead to even less control and more ways for the sickos to infiltrate," he said.

"YouTube is a net positive for education, millions of teens use it for knowledge, there is no messaging on YouTube."