Public Support in Jamaica For Regulation of Social Media Use By Minors

KINGSTON, Jamaica – A National Survey on Social Media Use and the Protection of Children has found that nine out of every 10 Jamaicans support government regulation of minors’ social media use.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton (left) in discussion with Dr Ganesh Shetty (right), acting director, adolescent mental health, Ministry of Health & Wellness, as well as lead researcher and fellow at The University of the West Indies and consultant with the Ministry of Health Dr Stephen Johnson at the news conferenceAn estimated 1,027 adults participated in the national cross-sectional public perception survey and Health and Wellness Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton, speaking at a news conference said 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 said, indicating 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.

The Health and Wellness Minister told reporters 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.”

The lead researcher and research fellow at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES), Dr. Stephen Johnson, sharing detailed findings about attitudes towards social media regulation, 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 said.

He said 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.

Dr. Johnson said 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.”

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.