Is a ban the right answer? One of Britain’s top police chiefs believes that social media fuels extremism. But many say that banning under-16s is not going to work.
Social media like smoking cancer risk
Red alert: Britain’s head of counterterrorism Matt Jukes (above) called on ministers to follow Australia’s lead and ban social media use by under-16s. Glossary
Noxious - Poisonous or very unpleasant.
Counterterrorism - Political or military activities designed to prevent terrorism.
Complacent - Feeling that you do not need to do anything about a situation. For example, somebody with very high grades at school might think they do not need to work hard any longer.
Gen Z - Short for Generation Z, meaning people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Extremist - People or groups which have extreme ideas, often relating to politics.
VPN - Virtual Private Network. It allows people to hide their identity online by masking their device's IP address. People can use VPNs to "relocate" themselves and browse the internet from any country.