An overwhelming majority of people in the West Midlands support a social media ban for under-16s, exclusive polling for Birmingham Live has shown.
Public Support for Ban
Australia has already taken steps to ban children from social media, and according to extensive polling on smartphones and young people, eight out of 10 in the West Midlands (82%) want the UK to follow suit, amid fears that many young teenagers spend too much time on their screens.
Social media giants are accused of creating harmful algorithms that parents claim have led to addiction, radicalisation, self-harm, and even suicide.
Political Moves
Last month, the House of Lords voted decisively for a full social media ban for under-16s - backing an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing Bill by Conservative peer Lord Nash in favour of such a measure in the UK.
Exclusive polling shows that the vast majority in the UK (80%) would welcome that ban.
Parental Concerns
The polls also show that most adults in the West Midlands are concerned about what children might be exposed to during screentime. Some 68% of people polled said they were worried about what their children are seeing on their smartphones, and only 5% said they had no concerns.
The most common concern people in the West Midlands had was that children could be exposed to inappropriate content.
Age of First Phone
The poll also revealed that children in the West Midlands most commonly receive their first phone at the age of 11 years, 2 months, and 19 days. That is eight months older than the UK average of 10 years, 6 months, and 26 days.
Australia's Precedent
The Australian ban is a world first and came into force in December. It prevents under-16s from accessing content from 10 major social media platforms, including Facebook, X, Snapchat, and Instagram.
You can check the poll results and see how your area matches up using our interactive map.
