AMID mounting concerns over improper use of social media, particularly the immensely popular TikTok platform, and the negative impact it is having on young people, two Caribbean scientists are arguing that imposing a ban on access, as has been done by at least two countries so far, will not be effective.

Instead, they are advocating greater focus on awareness and education on how best to use the platforms.

University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) psychology lecturer Dr Kenisha Nelson, and Dr Rachel-Ann Charles, lecturer in global media management and researcher at Birmingham City University in England, were responding to a Jamaica Observer query on the Australian Government’s decision to ban access to social media for children under 16 years old, and Albania’s ban on TikTok, both of which take effect this month.

TikTok was among the many platforms targeted by a landmark law passed in Australia last November. Under the legislation, social media firms that fail to comply face fines of up to Aus$50 million for “systemic breaches”.

In response, TikTok said it was disappointed by the Australian law, claiming it could push young people to the “darker corners of the Internet”.

In Albania, the Government took the decision last December to block TikTok less than a month after a 14-year-old was killed and another injured in a fight near a school in Tirana.

The fight developed from an online confrontation on social media.

The killing sparked a debate in the country among parents, psychologists and educational institutions about the impact of social networks on young people.

Announcing the ban, the Government also said it would launch education programmes for students and parents.

However, in a statement released within hours of the Government’s announcement, TikTok said it was seeking urgent clarity from the Albanian Government, arguing that in the tragic incident referenced it found no evidence that the perpetrator or victim had TikTok accounts, and reports suggest videos regarding the incidents were being posted on another platform.

But Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama scoffed at the request, saying that “TikTok has no grounds to demand clarifications from Albania because, in Albania, it is Albanians who make the decisions, not the owners of TikTok’s algorithm.”

He labelled the platform the “thug of the neighbourhood” and insisted that the ban was a “carefully considered decision made in consultation with parent communities in schools across the country”.

But Dr Nelson, a Jamaican with a PhD in occupational health psychology, argued that the ban in both countries might be premature.

She said that a lot of research conducted outside of Jamaica have yielded mixed results on the effects of social media on behaviour.

“Yes, there is some indication that social media has a negative effect on mental health and well-being. To the extent that it does, I think is the question [as] some of the research is suggesting that it’s not as we anticipate it to be, meaning the extent of it isn’t as great as we think it is,” Dr Nelson told the Sunday Observer.

“They’re not saying it doesn’t, but the extent to which it does, there are other variables that might be at play. So it might not just be a social media issue. And it’s hard to disaggregate the other variables, and all those are influencing mental health. So that, in and of itself, suggests that if you simply ban social media, you might not get the desired effect,” she explained.

“The other thing, too, is how does a ban even work? How do you police it? The truth is, what we do know is that when you start restricting things from kids, they are going to find means and ways to go around it,” Dr Nelson argued further.

“It might become even more attractive to kids because you are saying ‘you can’t’ and they say ‘but I want to, I’m curious’. The more it pushes curiosity, the more they find alternative ways of getting to it, so it might backfire in that way,” she added.

Dr Charles agreed, and argued that the Australian response was extreme, compared to the British Government’s move last year to pass an online safety Act designed to address the regulation of online speech and protect users from potential harm, including abuse and harassment, fraudulent activity and hate offences.

“There are several issues that we see countries facing, especially with young people, and they’re trying to address them… the issues [include] disinformation, in the era of fake news, then you see with Albania it’s about violence. So it falls on the back of those and governments are trying to be responsible,” said Dr Charles, a Trinidadian.

“However, when you try to restrain people so much so where there are no ways possible or forward, there’s no access at all, further problems can ensue and it may not be sustainable,” she argued.

Dr Charles recommended that instead of restricting access to the platforms, governments should work hand in hand with social media companies to ensure that their platforms are safe for young people to use and hold the companies accountable.

“We also need to educate young people on using these platforms, which falls under the category of digital literacy, media literacy, media education,” added Dr Charles, who holds a PhD in Media and Cultural Studies from Birmingham City University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media and Communication with a minor in psychology from The University of the West Indies.

Dr Nelson concurred.

“Maybe, rather than thinking about a ban we need to focus a lot more on education, and digital literacy and how children use social media, how they are self-aware, how they develop critical thinking and emotional intelligence around the use of social media,” the UTech lecturer argued.

“Because, think about it, let’s say the ban works and we restrict children under 16 from access to social media, when they get to 16, 17 years old and they now have access, it’s going to be just this new thing for them; they haven’t developed the sort of tools to deal with social media,” she reasoned.

“Maybe the alternative is not necessarily a ban, but to develop and promote education and awareness around social media use and access…because it’s not going anywhere,” Dr Nelson told the Sunday Observer.

That form of education, she suggested, should be a collaborative effort among schools, homes, and the wider society.

“I think everybody would have to take that responsibility. So from the parents in the home, they are the ones who are raising their children, so they have to monitor their children’s social media use in a balanced way and to educate them about how to use social media, what to look out for, what are the challenges of social media. And certainly, a formal programme in schools, as well as awareness campaigns in general would also make sense,” she said.

Outside of Australia and Albania, TikTok has drawn intense scrutiny in the United States, particularly because of its links to China, as well as in the European Union (EU) where there is suspicion that it was used to sway Romania’s presidential election in favour of a far-right candidate.

India also banned TikTok in July 2020 due to tensions with China.

In August, the company, under pressure from EU regulators, was forced to ditch a feature in its TikTok Lite spin-off in France and Spain that rewarded users for time spent in front of their screens.

In that rewards programme, users aged 18 and over could earn points to exchange for goods like vouchers or gift cards by liking and watching videos.

The platform was accused by the EU of potentially having “very addictive consequences”.

TikTok’s editing features and powerful algorithm have kept it ahead of the game, attracting an army of creators and influencers as well as creating many of its own.

TikTok has reported that it has just over one billion monthly active users globally, with 170 million in the United States.

Last April, the US Government passed a law mandating TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance to sell off the platform by January 19, 2025 on the grounds it allowed China to access data on US users.

If not, the platform would be banned in the United States.

While TikTok admitted that ByteDance employees in China had accessed Americans’ data, it has denied giving data to the Chinese authorities.

To protect data, the US Government, the European Commission and the British Government banned
TikTok from their employees’ work devices in 2023.

While Donald Trump was US president in 2020, he signed executive orders to ban TikTok in the country after accusing the platform of siphoning off American users’ data to benefit Beijing and of censoring posts to please Chinese officials.

Trump had taken the decision against a backdrop of political tension between Washington and Beijing.

However, since his re-election last November, Trump, who is scheduled to be sworn into office on January 20, has done an about-turn on TikTok, telling journalists at a news conference in December that he has “a warm spot” for the platform and that his Administration would take a look at the app and the potential ban.

His about-face came after the US Supreme Court, in December, agreed to hear TikTok’s appeal of the US law that would force its Chinese owner to sell the online video-sharing platform or shut it down.

The court scheduled oral arguments in the case for January 10, nine days before the ban is scheduled to take effect.

— Additional reporting by AFP

CHARLES… when you try to restrain people so much so where there are no ways possible or forward, further problems can ensue and it may not be sustainable

TikTok application on a cellphone. The app has been banned in Australia and Albania.

Research has yielded mixed results on the effects of social media on behaviour, according to the experts.