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Announcing an Australia-style blanket ban on social media for under-16s earlier this week, technology secretary Liz Kendall said the restrictions would help give children “the best possible start in life”.

Many in the sector have welcomed the decision to block access to platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, X and Facebook for teens.

However, others have criticised a blanket ban, saying it will drive children into darker corners of the internet, and will not tackle harmful content on platforms. They also point out that some popular platforms, like WhatsApp, will remain legal for under-16s.

For schools, which will be at the forefront in terms of witnessing the impact of the ban on pupils, there are questions over how the policy will work in practice.

The government has said that restrictions will be in place by next spring, with age assurance measures - which could include photo ID or facial age estimation - expected to be used to verify if someone is old enough to use a platform.

But there is still much that remains unclear. Here are some of the key questions schools need answers to:

1. To what extent will schools be expected to enforce the ban?

The government has already made statutory its guidance stating that mobile phones should not be used at school.

However, a social media ban is a “fundamentally different obligation”, says Dai Durbridge, safeguarding specialist on the education team at law firm Browne Jacobson, and schools will need to understand exactly the extent to which they will be expected to police students’ social media usage.

Hopefully, the ban on phones, coupled with good filtering systems on any school devices, should make the task relatively straightforward during school hours. But what about at other times?

Polling by the Molly Rose Foundation has indicated that many Australian teens who should be banned are still accessing social media, with suggestions that either they have not yet been asked to verify their age, or are using virtual private networks (VPNs) to get around the ban.

Social media companies will be liable for enforcement action if they fail to comply with the restrictions, according to the Press Association.

But Durbridge says the government should clarify where an offence lies if a child is accessing social media platforms or if an adult facilitates that access.

Between now and when the restrictions come in, headteachers and governors will need to understand “what the expectation of them looks like when a pupil is accessing banned platforms at home, and how pastoral and safeguarding staff respond when they become aware that children are using platforms they are legally prohibited from accessing,” he says.

This is likely to place further importance on designated safeguarding leads (DSLs), he adds.

2. Will a ban make students less likely to report safeguarding incidents that happen on social media?

Several safeguarding experts have pointed out that if children do get around the ban, then safeguarding incidents and bullying will still happen online, but children might be less willing to disclose these to adults.

“It is essential that pupils can still disclose harm that has happened online without fear that they themselves will be treated primarily as rule-breakers,” says Simon Lightman, philosophy and politics head and director of the learning lab for The Flourish Project, which aims to help schools put the flourishing of both humans and the planet at the heart of the curriculum and leadership.

“If a child reports bullying, coercion, grooming, harassment, misogynistic abuse or harmful content, the first response has to remain safeguarding, not enforcement. DSLs will need absolute clarity that their role is to protect the child and respond to the risk, not to police the fact that the child may have accessed a banned platform,” he adds.

The government must produce clear guidance on what the expectations will be for schools in policing the use of social media on school premises, Durbridge says, although he doesn’t expect schools will have a legal duty to report social media access.

3. Will young people be underprepared to start accessing social media when they turn 16?

Earlier this week, Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Pepe Di’Iasio said guidance for families would be needed to help support safer use of social media once pupils reach 16, to lessen the risk of what has been called a “cliff edge”.

Ideally, media literacy, particularly focusing on social media, should be taught across the curriculum, says Dr Robyn Muir, senior lecturer in media and communication at the University of Surrey. However, she also recognises the time and capacity challenges here.

“It cannot be the sole responsibility of educators to support young people’s transition to social media,” she explains. “Parents, carers and other family members also need to feel comfortable and confident discussing social media with young people.”

In its response to the curriculum and assessment review, the government said it will ensure media and digital literacy are embedded across the curriculum.

Children who have their access removed overnight may experience a sense of withdrawal, Durbridge says. He points out that it will fall to schools and parents to prepare them for this and support them.

“Given social media has until now been a core part of their daily lives, there is a worry that potential behavioural challenges may arise from emotional dysregulation,” he says.

As managing those challenges will “inevitably add to the burden on schools”, he continues, the sector should consider how the ban might affect behaviour and “feed this in to government” in advance.

4. Will teachers and students still be allowed to use YouTube for educational purposes?

Many complaints about the ban have centred around YouTube’s inclusion, with some arguing that under-16s should be able to access video tutorials, educational content and more.

“YouTube hosts some extremely useful content made explicitly to support education,” says David Strange, head of a middle school in Qatar, and a DSL.

“Craig’n’Dave, for example, is a YouTube channel that has been around for many years, and has produced bespoke videos covering computer science for almost every exam board and every topic in every unit. For many teachers, these are a reliable and accessible source of pre-teaching material that pupils can use free of charge to revise at home, and they require no extra planning time from teachers.”

Teachers’ own access to YouTube will, of course, not be restricted, but Durbridge says this is another area that is unclear and should therefore be included in guidance.

Staff should select any content they do use carefully, he advises.

Once the ban comes into force, children will also still be able to access YouTube Kids, so popular content producers may soon begin to make use of this loophole.

5. What training will schools need to deliver for staff?

Ultimately, Durbridge says, “banning specific social media channels will likely lead to children finding new online environments to spend their time in, with unregulated virtual gaming channels already prominent spaces and having potential for even greater popularity”.

“This may result in greater risks in a more complex online world that DSLs and other staff will need to understand,” he adds.

As teachers may not be entirely familiar with these environments, schools may wish to investigate professional development in this area.

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