If we take away social media, what do we give back?

The government’s proposed social media ban for under-16s will be welcomed by many parents, teachers and youth workers. It will also raise difficult questions about freedom, connection, enforcement and what young people themselves actually want.

At Outward Bound, we are not here to tell the country what to ban. That is not our role. But we do know what happens when young people look up from their screens…

They talk, move, notice the weather, argue, make up, get cold, get scared, get brave, get tired, become proud. They take the unexpected path and find out what they are capable of when the next step is not served to them by an algorithm.

Because adventure does not happen on autopilot.

We work with thousands of young people every year. We also work closely with teachers, many of whom are navigating smartphone use, social media pressure and online distraction every single day. Our instructors see it too. The pull of the screen is real, as is the anxiety surrounding them. But so is the relief that can come from switching off.

Why this conversation matters

Campaigns such as Smartphone Free Childhood have brought energy and urgency to something many families and schools have been feeling for years. They have made it easier to say out loud what many adults already know: childhood has changed, and not always for the better.

But if we are serious about helping young people, we cannot afford to lose their voice in this.

We have asked our Youth Advisory Panel and we have spoken to our participants and the answers are not always simple. Some young people see the damage clearly, while others worry about isolation, freedom of expression and losing an important way to connect with friends. Many recognise the downsides of social media, but are wary of a full-scale ban. That tension matters.

But for every young person who defends their access to social media, there is another who values the chance to be away from it. Like Isla, who joined us last summer for 19 days, and did not look at her phone once. Not because she was forced into a punishment, but because that was the whole point. Time and space away from social media became part of the experience.

The evidence on this tells a similar story. Jonathan Hadit, in his book Anxious Generation, has written about the sharp decline in youth mental health since around 2010, the same period in which smartphones and social media became woven into childhood. We should be careful not to pretend one policy will solve everything, but we should also be careful not to ignore what is unfolding in front of us.

More opportunities, not less

At Outward Bound, we know that the opposite of a screen-based childhood is not simply fewer screens. It is fuller lives.

Our own impact data shows that 76% of young people leave Outward Bound with improved confidence in themselves and what they can do. 88% say their ability to connect, communicate and work with others improves by the end of their course. 80% leave with a deeper sense of care and responsibility for the natural world. Those things matter, especially now.

Only two weeks ago, Alan Milburn’s review into young people and work warned that nearly one million 16 to 24-year-olds in the UK are not in education, employment or training (NEET). He also talked about the first rungs of the old career ladder weakening for young people. That is the bigger picture here – young people cannot go on having things taken away from them. But rather, they need more opportunities to step into.

If the government is serious about giving children more freedom, confidence and opportunity, then a social media ban cannot stand alone. Its parallel commitment to enrichment, including the £132.5 million Every Child Can programme and new benchmarks across arts, sport, nature, civic life and life skills, is a hopeful sign.

But the test will be what comes next.

Young people do not just need things taken away from them. They need more to step into: outdoor learning, youth work, residentials, mentoring, early careers support and safe places to take risks, build relationships and discover what they are capable of.

Outward Bound is one part of that answer. We know that when young people are given the chance to step away from the noise, spend time outdoors and take on real challenge, life chances improve. So yes, let’s acknowledge the risks posed by social media, but let’s also talk about what we are prepared to build in its place.

More time outdoors, more trusted adults, more challenge, more friendships built face to face, more chances to take responsibility, manage risk, feel discomfort, recover from mistakes and discover that confidence is not something you can scroll your way through – it is something you build over time.

Challenges and consequences 

If this ban goes ahead, it will also raise questions for charities and youth organisations like ours.

How do we reach young people when one of the main channels for communicating with them is restricted? How do we promote adventure, confidence and outdoor learning to a generation who may be less visible to us online? It will no doubt make things harder, but it may also push us to do more in the real world. And perhaps that is no bad thing.

If one unintended consequence is that organisations like ours have to practise what we preach, meet young people where they are, build stronger relationships with schools, families and communities, and create more reasons to step outside, then we should embrace that challenge.

That is one of the reasons why Outward Bound exists. Not to campaign against technology, but to stand up for adventure. For risk and reward. For responsibility. For compassion and respect. For the belief that every young person has more in them than they know.

If anything, this moment gives us further clarity on our place in the world. Young people do not just need protecting from harm they need invited into life…

Real life. Muddy, awkward, joyful, demanding, confidence-building life.

The kind that does not happen on social media.