A majority of UK technology professionals support a ban on under-16s accessing social media, new member polling conducted by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, though confidence in the technical delivery of such a ban remains low.
The poll of 1,229 BCS members found that 56.71% support a ban on under-16s using social media, while 28.8% oppose the proposal. A further 14.48% said they were undecided, indicating ongoing debate within the technology sector.
Respondents were also asked about the technical feasibility of delivering and enforcing a ban effectively. Only 4.72% said they were extremely confident, with 10.58% very confident and 27.58% somewhat confident. By contrast, a majority expressed low confidence, with 30.02% saying they were not so confident and 27.1% not at all confident that a ban could be delivered effectively from a technology perspective.
The findings suggest that while there is broad concern among technology professionals about the impact of social media on children and young people, many remain sceptical about whether current systems are capable of enforcing an age-based ban reliably, safely and at scale. Issues raised by respondents included the maturity of age-assurance technologies, risks to privacy and data protection, and the ease with which restrictions could be circumvented.
The polling comes as policymakers and regulators continue to examine options to strengthen online protections for children, including age assurance, platform design requirements and enforcement under the UK’s Online Safety framework.
Dan Howl, Head of Policy at BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, said: “This polling shows strong support among technology professionals for doing more to protect children online. However, it also highlights a clear gap between policy intent and technical confidence.
“Many of those working directly with digital systems are unconvinced that a ban could be delivered effectively using today’s technologies without creating new risks or unintended consequences.”
