London Press Club together with The Stationers’ Company at Stationers’​ Hall hosts the debate for “Should young people be banned from social media?”

Last night’s motion asked a timely question: “Should young people be banned from social media?”

The debate, hosted by the London Press Club together with The Stationers’ Company at Stationers’​ Hall, drew a full house and a lively exchange of views.

The panel brought together a breadth of perspectives:

Chloe Hubbard, UK Editor at The Independent and incoming Editor-in-Chief of The Mirror, Dawn Alford, Executive Director of the Society of Editors, Joseph Sparks, Principal of Leigh Stationers’ Academy, Niva Yadav, trainee journalist at The Standard, London and Chaired by Christian May, Editor of City AM

This was never going to be a straightforward yes-or-no answer.

Following a wide-ranging discussion and audience Q&A, several key themes emerged:

• A blanket ban is unlikely to be a cure-all.
• The burden cannot rest solely on parents.
• Schools are experiencing tangible impacts.
• Digital literacy is critical.

The real question is not whether social media influences young people, it demonstrably does, but how society chooses to respond.

Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed so thoughtfully to the discussion. We look forward to continuing the conversation at future events.