Gibraltar ‘very likely’ to ban social media for under 16s

Gibraltar is “very likely” to follow the UK in banning social media for children under 16 years old, the Government has confirmed.

This comes after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier this week announced the move in response to concerns that social media is unsafe and could cause lasting damage to their mental health.

On Tuesday, a Gibraltar Government spokesman confirmed that a social media ban is being considered.

“It is very likely that Gibraltar will follow suit,” the spokesman said.

“The Government shares the concerns expressed by the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer and by the UK Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary, Liz Kendall.”

“We are awaiting sight of the proposed legislation and expect to be in a position to legislate at the same time as, or ahead of, the UK.”

A recent survey in Gibraltar has found that 93.2% of young people from school Years 7 to 13 have a smartphone.

The survey conducted by the University of Gibraltar has found that 17% of boys and 23% of girls reported using screens as soon as they wake up.

Around 2,500 students were surveyed with 25% of boys and 34% of girls using screens right up until they fall asleep.

The survey also found that 12.7% of students felt no connection to their classmates.

Public Health Gibraltar, the GHA and Department of Education published its ‘children and screen time strategy’ earlier this year outlining its vision and goals.

The vision to “re-set the Gibraltar norm” included no screen time for under two year olds, phone-free schools, device free mealtimes and screens not used an hour before sleep.

Goals set out by the strategy include reduce the number of children who are not ready for school, reduce the number of secondary school children identified as having problematic screen time usage, improve children’s in person social interactions, physical activity and ability to self regulate using non-technical devices.

The strategy has detailed that detrimental health effects of excessive screen time includes development delays in infants achieving key milestones, increased risk of short sightedness, and exacerbation of symptoms of ADHD and autism.

The strategy includes a roadmap for what can be done in future and plans include providing new nursery enrolments for September 2016 onwards with guidance on schools’ expectations for children’s school readiness, including practical resources into antenatal classes and parenting programs, and encouraging children to participate in alternative out of school activities.

Already implemented as part of the strategy is the school phone ban in comprehensive schools.

The Department of Education and Public Health Gibraltar also recently launched a new survey inviting young people to share their views on how they spend their free times and the activities they would like to see more of in the community.

The UK ban is expected to cover platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X but not messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal.

Sir Keir suggested YouTube Kids, Lego Play and Google Classroom would not be covered by the prohibition.

The social media ban follows a similar move in Australia, where there has been criticism about the way it is enforced, with some youngsters making use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and other methods to get around it.

The UK Government is also looking at potential overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for under-18s, with more details expected next month.