When Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to ban access to social media for under 16s last week, he stated the government was taking decisive action to give children their childhoods back.
Our Coventry Youth Activists (CYA) strongly disagree. They don’t believe they will be getting anything back — rather, a vital lifeline to the wider world will be taken away.
To disabled young people, online spaces offer opportunities to talk to friends, make new connections locally and in other places, and feel included — opportunities that will all be gone if the government introduces a blanket ban in what many are calling an oversimplification of a complex issue.
CYA have responded by issuing a new video sharing their concerns and are appealing to people to sign their open letter to the Prime Minister to “unmask the harm” an outright ban will cause to disabled young people across the UK. Watch this video below.
View this post on Instagram
It is more difficult, often impossible, for disabled young people to access more traditional youth centres, clubs and community activities in the same way as other children.
Some places are not accessible and even if they were, they’re gone because the funding is no longer there to keep them open.
And so, connection with peers, lowered social isolation, access to relatable role models, expression of identity and validation from communities of other disabled people could all disappear from reach if government plans go ahead from Spring 2027.
CYA say: “We have launched our open letter demanding the government to reconsider and listen to us as disabled young people.
“So many of us rely on social media to connect with others, and both because we struggle to meet people like us, and because there have been so many cuts to community venues.
“We don’t believe that a ban is the most effective option, and instead we need to hold social media companies accountable, and have better digital education.”
Their fears are echoed by other disabled activists writing in The Guardian and other news outlets this week.
CYA want the government to instead focus on:
- Better funding for youth services, mental health support and community spaces, paid for by fair taxes on social media companies, with that money ring-fenced to support young people
- Proper digital education, including online safety, digital rights and how to think critically online
- Stronger rules for tech companies, making them responsible for how their platforms work and making sure disabled young people are involved in decisions that affect our lives.
They believe that imposing a complete ban on social media for under 16s — and ignoring or sidelining the three focus areas they are proposing — will cause many disabled young people to lose one of the only ways they can talk to others, increasing their chances of an isolated youth.
In addition, CYA say not enough is being done to support young people over 16 or to address the online bullying and abuse disabled people face.
They want the government to listen and act.
What can you do to support CYA?
- Sign their open letter now, sharing how social media has helped you in your life by clicking this link
- Share the link to the open letter with your friends, family, colleagues and networks so more people can join the cause
- Use the easy read version (click here) of the open letter where needed to explain what CYA are trying to do in a clear, accessible way
- Follow @CovActivists on social media to keep up-to-date with their campaigns, sharing their video about the negative consequences of the planned social media ban with the hashtag #UnmaskTheHarm.
About Coventry Youth Activists
Coventry Youth Activists are a campaign group changing disabled young people’s lives in Coventry and beyond.
CYA members decide on the issues that matter to them and set about making things better.
CYA are part of Grapevine’s Shifting Power work helping people embrace their power and agency. Transforming systems and services along the way. Because when they do, problems get solved, lives become better and futures become more shapeable.