Like many young people around the world, teenagers in the UK have quite complex relationships with social media platforms.
They understand that applications like TikTok, Instagram or Snapchat can make users addicted to surfing their phones and exposed to unhealthy content.
However, these platforms also play an important role in communication, making friends and accessing information.
Faced with growing concerns about the impact of social media on children, the UK government is considering restrictive measures.
One of the options being discussed is to ban people under 16 years old from using social networks, similar to regulations in Australia. Currently, this country has opened a public consultation, expected to end in May.
In interviews with students aged 16 to 18 at a school in south London, many said social media helps them maintain relationships and explore the world around them. However, they also acknowledged its negative impacts.
Awand Khdir, 17 years old, said he used to spend up to eight hours a day surfing TikTok during summer vacation. "It's almost nothing but scrolling the screen constantly," he said.
Currently, Khdir's usage time has decreased to about 3-4 hours per day, but he still thinks that is not really okay for him.
Some students said they had encountered toxic content or been bullied online. Teyanna Charley, 17, shared that the online environment is sometimes very negative and makes users feel tired.
Meanwhile, Joelle Azebaze Ayangma, 18 years old, believes that images of her appearance on social networks may make many young people feel insecure.
Social networking platforms said they have implemented many measures to protect young users. Snapchat sets teenagers' accounts to private by default, Instagram provides teenage accounts with content control tools, and TikTok limits screen usage time to 60 minutes per day for young users.
However, many teenagers admit that they can easily find ways to overcome these limitations.
Although clearly aware of the risks, most students surveyed still oppose banning social media. Ali Raza, 16, said these applications help him communicate with his family abroad.
Some other young people believe that if banned, users can turn to other more dangerous platforms or use VPNs to overcome limitations.
Many experts are also skeptical about the effectiveness of the ban. Among them, Professor Amy Orben from Cambridge University believes that the impact of social networks is very diverse. According to the Professor, for some people, it is a source of risk, but for many others, it is an important connection tool.
According to experts, instead of completely banning, the government should put pressure on technology companies to design safer platforms for children, limit addictive algorithms and control toxic content.
