As discussion grows about under 16-year-old children being banned from social media platforms one needs to consider the question of what is the point of it?

Looking more closely at Facebook it appears to be a platform for showing off rather than having a serious purpose. Of particular annoyance are the armchair political pundits. Their contributions are of leading political figures with objectionable abusive comments attached. These comments are then added to by a group of faceless supporters. I doubt they would have the courage to say such things face-to-face to their victims. They are cowards. Much of the Facebook content is made up stories bearing no link to the truth. Celebrity deaths are a common theme of nonsense often displayed.

Another major sector of contributions comes from people basically showing off. Examples are of those posting details of the airport they are leaving or of the venue of their latest lunch outing. Perhaps they do not realise that nobody is remotely interested in such trivia.To complete my attack I highlight another group who use the platform to wish each other happy birthday or to give praise for recent achievements. They are already in contact with each other so this communication venue is really meant for others to add their congratulations.

Where social media can be useful is when it is used as an alert system. Traffic accidents and road closure notices can be very helpful. It is also useful to promote local events like plays and festivals.

The most serious issue with social media is its addictive nature. Reports of very young children trying to scroll a page of a book just like a tablet is very worrying. Young people spend hours on social media. In some cases it has had a dramatic influence on lives to such an extent that they have taken their own lives. It remains to be seen if the Australian ban on under-16s having access will be a success.

My world as a teenager had no such technology. For that I am grateful. We even wrote letters when stamps were affordable.More and more as a nation we are not talking to each other but using e mail as the main means of communication.

Face-to-face interaction is the essence of life. Banning youngsters from social media in my opinion is a good move. No doubt it will not be greated with enthusiasm by the younger generation and they will try to find ways to get round the ban. Evidence does suggest that once they spend less time on social media their academic performance improves.

Once again, the cry should be ‘Luddites of the world unite’.