Brianna Ghey’s Mum Calls for Ban on Social Media Apps for Under-16s
The mother of Brianna Ghey, a teenager who was tragically murdered earlier this year, is advocating for a ban on social media apps for individuals under the age of 16. The call for action comes after Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, both 15 at the time, lured 16-year-old Brianna to Linear Park in Culcheth, near Warrington, and fatally stabbed her with a hunting knife on February 11, 2023. Prior to the murder, Jenkinson had been watching videos of torture online.
Esther Ghey, speaking on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, proposed the introduction of mobile phones specifically designed for children under the age of 16, along with measures to flag searches for inappropriate material to parents. Ghey emphasized the need for age-appropriate technology, stating, We’d like a law introduced so that there are mobile phones that are only suitable for under-16s. So if you’re over 16, you can have an adult phone, but then under the age of 16, you can have a children’s phone, which will not have all of the social media apps that are out there now.
Ghey also stressed the importance of parental monitoring, suggesting the installation of software on parents’ phones that would link to their children’s phones and highlight concerning keywords. This way, if a child were to search for phrases similar to those searched by Brianna’s killers, it would alert the parent. Ghey believes that had her daughter’s search activity been flagged, her parents could have intervened and potentially sought help for her.
Tragically, Brianna had accessed pro-anorexia and self-harm material online, leading Ghey to speculate that limiting her access to such sites could have alleviated some of the suffering. Ghey shared that there were arguments over Brianna’s phone usage, as she was quite protective of it. Ghey reflected, If she couldn’t have accessed the sites, she wouldn’t have suffered as much.
As the fallout from Brianna’s murder continues, Esther Ghey’s proposal to ban social media apps for children under 16 and introduce dedicated phones and parental monitoring software brings attention to the need for increased safeguards and guidance for young individuals using online platforms. With concerns over the influence of certain content and potential harm that can arise, the discussions surrounding these ideas are an important step towards prioritizing the protection of vulnerable individuals online.
While Ghey’s proposal raises valid concerns and points for discussion, further exploration is necessary to fully understand the implications and viability of implementing such measures. As the call to regulate social media apps for under-16s gains attention and support, it remains to be seen what steps will be taken to protect young individuals from potential dangers and harmful influences online.
