A new poll has revealed that Gen Z is turning against the social media platforms that defined their generation. Two-thirds of 16- to 24-year-olds believe social media does more harm than good, and three-quarters want tougher regulation to protect younger users. The research, conducted by the New Britain Project, found that half of young people think they spent too much time on social media when younger, with regret highest among those who started using it earliest.
Perhaps most strikingly, four in five young people said they would keep their own children away from social media for as long as possible if they became parents. Anna McShane, founder of the New Britain Project and a former teacher, said the findings suggest that generations are increasingly united in their concern about screen time, rather than locked in conflict.
This Friday, Parliament will vote on Labour MP Josh MacAlister's private member's bill on safer phone use. The bill, which originally proposed raising the legal age for accessing social media from 13 to 16, has been watered down. It now only commits ministers to reporting back in a year on the case for doing so, conducting further research, and publishing new guidance on children's screen time.
Meanwhile, Gen Z is taking matters into its own hands. Nightclubs and gig venues from Manchester to Berlin are asking punters to cover their phone cameras to encourage dancing without filming. An explosion of running clubs, reading groups, and in-person singles parties reflects a hunger for face-to-face connection. Adele Zeynep Walton, 25, founded Logging Off Club, which organises phone-free social meet-ups where attendees' devices are placed in a bucket at the door. 'It's like ripping away a comfort blanket at first, but it makes people talk to each other,' she said.
