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As the world becomes increasingly shaped by technology and access to unlimited information, the Government has been asking important questions about what is best for young people in terms of their relationship to social media. As of this week, the Prime Minister announced that the Government plans to bring in a blanket social media ban for anyone under the age of 16. This decision follows a recent consultation to gauge public opinion on the policy proposal.
The Government is not wrong to explore what is healthy and safe for children and adolescents in terms of social media use. A comprehensive understanding of how certain features and platforms impact the mental health of young people is necessary to figure out next steps.
National AIDS Trust responded to the consultation to ensure that Government heard about the importance of ensuring that young people are able to access information, advice and support on HIV and sexual health. As Government moves forward with the ban we believe that it is critical that due consideration is given as to how young people are able to access the right information about their sexual health and wellbeing.
For young people living with HIV
For children and adolescents living with HIV, there are very few community networks and peer support services built with young people in mind, whether its online or in-person. Because vertical transmissions occur less often in the UK, many HIV services are designed to create community and connections amongst adults who have acquired HIV later in life. This means that for young people who acquired HIV at birth or in early childhood, they may not relate to the life experiences or advice of people who acquired HIV as adults.
Peer support has been shown to reduce feelings of social isolation, improve mental health outcomes and support treatment adherence. However, most peer support available in the UK is predominantly designed for and accessible to adults. This leaves behind young people living with HIV who have few opportunities to meet others with similar experiences.
Social media helps bridge this gap. It helps young people discover opportunities designed specifically for them. Organisations such as CHIVA use social media to promote wellbeing events, community activities and programmes such as the Freedom to Be camp. Still, young people who attend these events frequently create group chats through social to keep in contact with their new friends. These connections often continue long after the event itself, creating supportive networks of young people who share similar experiences and understand what it’s like living with HIV as a young person.
These online communities are not a replacement for in-person support but an extension of it. Access to online communities and trusted sources of information can help address any unmet social and emotional needs, encourage engagement with support services and strengthen connections that improve wellbeing.
For all young people
The benefits extend beyond young people living with HIV. While great strides are being made to improve it, relationship and sex education in the UK is still not where it needs to be. In 2024, only 43% of young people said they felt personally represented and included by the relationship and sex education they received, while less than half (49%) felt they had learned how to access sexual health services. These figures highlight a gap between what young people need and what they are currently receiving through formal education. Through social media, there is an opportunity to address the declining condom use amongst adolescents and the growing rates of new STI and HIV diagnoses among the same age group in the UK since 2021.
Social media is not simply an entertainment platform; nowadays it is one of the primary ways young people learn about the world around them. Charities such as Brook, Terrence Higgins Trust and many others have understood for years that they can use social media to supplement what young people are learning in the classroom and at home – allowing teenager to ask ‘embarrassing’ questions and delivering person-centred RSE messaging. For some young people, social media may be the first place they encounter accurate information about HIV or learn how to access a test. This knowledge is the first step to not only preventing HIV transmissions, but also to challenging HIV stigma.
It is clear from the Government’s announcement that there are still many aspects of the policy to be worked out. Asthe conversations continue, we urge the Government to centre the experiences and needs of young people in their decision-making, giving more consideration to the role social media plays in improving access to tailored health information, andcommunity building with peers who understand them. In politics, people under 18 are often talked about but not consulted with but now more than ever their voices are needed to understand both the positive and negative impacts of social media on the next generation.
The conversation around social media use in people under 16 is not simple: the knowledge and community that young people gain through social media could be lost with this ban. Plans for proper mitigation of these risks and proactive approaches to alternatives must be set out. If there is a ban, it needs to be followed up with a cross-departmental approach to address the gaps left by restricting social media such as investing in HIV support services for under 18s and increasing tailored HIV and sexual health outreach for young people.
If you would like to learn more, you can read National AIDS Trust’s briefing on the needs and experiences of young people living with HIV (18-27). If you’re a young people living with HIV (or a person supporting them), we codeveloped advice videos and a toolkit on championing your rights against discrimination and asking for reasonable adjustments.