Social Media Ban for under-16’s

Dear all,

With the Government proposing restrictions on social media access for under-16 year olds, and early evidence from Australia suggesting that similar measures alone have had limited impact on young people’s overall social media use, our webinar with the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, University College Dublin explores the issue from a broader, evidence-informed perspective: https://cas-elearning.com/courses/social-media-youth/

In this webinar, Prof. Fiona McNicholas and Dr. Laura Bond examine the complex relationship between young people, social media and mental health. They discuss the factors influencing the current debate, including the media response following the Netflix series ‘Adolescence’, what the available evidence tells us, and where further research is needed.

At Cycle Against Suicide, we believe this conversation should move beyond fear-based responses and focus instead on empowering young people to engage with technology in a healthy, balanced and informed way. By developing critical thinking, emotional literacy and digital resilience, we can better equip young people to understand how their online experiences influence their mental health and wellbeing.

As part of our ongoing work with University College Dublin, their researchers are undertaking a study examining young people’s use of social media and AI, and the potential impact on their wellbeing. They are inviting teachers to share their perspectives through a short survey, which takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Cycle Against Suicide would be so very grateful if our ‘Link Teachers’ could help inform this important research: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccovSGMUh3c2sb3OvKrE23M_M3lJnjaPA7HSVFVM9c_uB0zg/viewform