Social Media Ban Repository

Are social media bans addressing the real problem? Elizabeth Gosme, Director of COFACE Families Europe, argues that the focus should be on holding technology companies accountable rather than restricting children's access to digital platforms. She discusses why existing EU legislation—including the Digital Services Act, GDPR, and the AI Act—must be properly enforced, and explains how engagement-dr...

Are social media bans the right solution for protecting children online? Prof. Sole Pera, Associate Professor at UDelft and researcher in information retrieval and recommender systems, explores why the debate should focus on the specific challenges children face online rather than on banning access altogether. She discusses how children are already digital citizens, using online spaces to learn, c...

Are age-based social media restrictions the right solution for protecting children online? Francesca Pisanu, Senior Policy Officer at Eurochild, explores why the debate should focus on strengthening children's rights online rather than relying on an age of digital majority. She discusses the importance of enforcing and strengthening existing EU legislation, including the Digital Services Act, GDPR...

Are blanket social media bans the right solution for protecting children online? Jeffrey DeMarco, Chartered Forensic Psychologist and Senior Technical Advisor at, explores why bans may be too blunt, easy to circumvent, and risk shifting harms rather than reducing them. He discusses the need for stronger safety-by-design regulation, better platform accountability, digital literacy, and meaningful c...

Bart Preneel, professor of applied cryptography & privacy at KU Leuven, explains why age verification and age assurance measures aimed at restricting children’s access to online services may seem appealing but are ultimately fragile, easily bypassed, and risky for privacy and security. He argues that instead of relying on sweeping technical controls, policymakers should focus on stronger regul...

Are social media bans an effective way to keep children safe online? Sonia Livingstone from the Digital Futures for Children Centre unpacks the evidence behind growing calls for bans. She explains why restricting access is unlikely to work, highlights the benefits children find online, and argues that stronger regulation—not exclusion—is key to creating safer digital spaces. Visit our SMB Reposito...

Is banning social media really the solution for protecting children online? Leanda Barrington-Leach, Executive Director at 5Rights, explains why blanket bans fall short and argues for a more balanced approach that combines protection, age appropriate design, and gradual empowerment in a digital world. Visit our SMB Repository: https://informationlabs.org/social-media-ban-repository/  #isabanaplan...