Nine out of every 10 Jamaicans or 90.2 per cent support government regulation of minors’ social media use, according to the findings of the National Survey on Social Media Use and the Protection of Children.
The findings were presented by Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, during Tuesday’s (July 28) press conference at Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in Kingston.
He shared that only 2.9 per cent expressed opposition to social media use being regulated by government, while 6.9 per cent were neutral or unsure.
“In addition, nearly 84 per cent believe Jamaica should establish a clear national policy framework governing minors’ use of social media,” Dr. Tufton shared.
He reasoned that the most significant finding is not simply that Jamaicans support some level of government action but that they believe this responsibility must be shared.
“Only 12.7 per cent of respondents believe government should lead this effort alone, 40.5 per cent believe parents and guardians should play the leading role, while another 39 per cent favoured shared responsibility among parents, schools, government, communities and other stakeholders,” he said.
Dr. Tufton underscored that protecting children online must be a national partnership.
“No government policy can replace active parenting. No legislation can replace guidance within the home. No technology platform can replace the influence of families, teachers and communities,” he explained.
Sharing detailed findings about attitudes towards social media regulation, lead researcher and research fellow at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES), Dr. Stephen Johnson, said 90.7 per cent of respondents agreed that regulation is worth pursuing even if difficult.
Just under 90 per cent agreed to parental consent being a requirement for minors below a certain age to open accounts.
Another 83.6 per cent of respondents believe that the rights of minors must be balanced with the need for protection online.
“In terms of requiring parental consent for minors below a certain age to open accounts and restricting access to social media platforms for children below a specific age, the mean suggested age is 14 years of age. The most popular was 16 years of age,” Dr. Johnson shared.
He indicated that 90 per cent of Jamaicans believe that regulation would lead to safer online social media use among minors.
In terms of whether regulation would help parents to better supervise minors online, 89.1 per cent said yes, while 88.4 per cent agree that regulation would reduce minors’ exposure to harmful content.
He explained that 87 per cent of respondents believe that minors would likely find ways around the restrictions.
“We have evidence indicating that that has been happening in Australia, where 80 per cent of minors are still online, despite an outright social media ban,” Dr. Johnson said.
Across the different scenarios presented, including setting clear rules about how and when minors can use social media, monitoring minors’ social media activity, using parental controls or privacy settings to restrict access to certain content or platforms, discussing online risks with minors and enforcing consequences when agreed-upon rules are not followed, only one-third of respondents consistently report doing so.
Some 1,027 adults participated in the national cross-sectional public perception survey.
