u/IntelligentAnybody55

I'm British, and I'm concerned by just how many are supporting the social media ban, but what surprises me most is that there's less of a pushback on a full under 16s social media ban (I've said before on why it's so awful) than the under 18s porn ban. Surely porn is more harmful than YouTube, right?

What an awful group of people, convincing people to repress who they are for some magic.

Recently, an under 16s social media ban has been planed for use in the UK, and will likely come into effect in July 2027 (estimate). But, this has so many flaws to it, it could become an apartment complex.

For starters, sites such as twitch and especially YOUTUBE are being affected, with YouTube having vital revision and learning resources that are pretty much only there. So much content, indie projects, and tutorials only exist on there, and there can be no place better.

Secondly, this is a huge vulnerability for 16+. Whilst social media has undeniable dangers, instead of solving them, they remove the ability for young people to get used to the dangers to avoid them, and encourages 16+ and 18+ content on sites that previously wouldn’t have them.

Thirdly, it removes the ability for kids to have a safe space. The internet is far from safe, but queer kids with homophobic parents (of which I know MANY), loose a space where they can be themselves, and trans kids especially are put further at risk of suicide from the lack of any support, when YouTube can give that. As well as it reinforcing the parents’ beliefs on the child (religion, homophobia, transphobia), where YouTube isn’t there to show them that other options are out there.

Fourthly, it puts people’s data in vulnerable positions. Your data isn’t safe on the internet. So having an entire country’s ids and verifiable data kept in awful companies like Yoti and OfCom is a worse idea than giving your social security number to a toddler. They are so at risk of being stolen, and used for huge amounts of identity fraud. Your data isn’t safe with these companies.

Fifthly, it gives the companies too much power. Any <16 on their sites that commits suicide is “not supposed to be there”, and the company gets off Scot free. It allows for companies to go unchecked as it’s only for adults, so dangerous content is less monitored. When sites like YouTube are already amazing, and provide support, why remove them and give them a get out of jail free card?

Finally, it won’t work. Free VPNs are so easily accessible, and removing access to them, or needing ID for them removes a lot of their functionality of privacy. And as it’s so easy to get around (assuming similarly done to the online safety act (which is also questionable but that’s more about data safety issues)), one can question whether they are truly doing it to protect the kids (spoiler, they’re not).

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/757233

Please sign the petition, even though the rapidly reforming (not in a good way) government completely disregarded the hundreds of thousands of signatures for anti-online safety act.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/14/starmer-to-announce-australia-plus-ban-on-social-media-for-under-16s - a source

Please leave thoughts below

Heyy, so I am 100% going through male pattern baldness (TEENm but strong family history), and I really like my hair, and I do not under any circumstance want to loose it.

Is there any way (England) to stop the balding? Like at all? I’m already 5’11 so I don’t care if it’s hormonal, I just need to know if it’s something I can get (the sooner the better).

Anyone know? This isn’t a vent, I just need advice on what I can do.

Religions, especially the abrahamic ones, seem to get a free pass for homophobia, saying “ItS pArT oF mY bElIeF”. But why can that still be acceptable in modern western countries like the uk and America?

Aside from the overstated point of how homophobia is just stupid anyway, why can people say that because it’s part of their belief, it’s okay? They don’t have to subscribe to the belief, they have the ability to leave, and yet the LGBTQIA+ must change?

Some even think that they’re being respectful or aren’t homophobic by saying “I won’t treat you differently, I just think it’s a sin”, but how can literally not accepting an unchangeable part of someone, be respect?

TLDR: being religious gives you no right to be homophobic. Leave the religion, and stop being homophobic, it’s **stupid**.