Sir, – As yet another politician extols the merits of banning social media for those under 16 in the name of online safety, many of us working in children’s rights find ourselves dismayed by the persistence of such quick-fix, headline-grabbing proposals. A blanket ban is a superficial gesture that would simply shift responsibility on to parents and children, rather than addressing the role of the technology companies whose platforms prioritise engagement to the detriment of young people.Last Sunday, June 14th, more than 140 children’s rights organisations across Europe, including the ISPCC, cosigned an evidence-based letter to the European Commission asserting that it is neither fair nor effective to require children to bear the cost of rectifying problems that are embedded in the design and business models of online platforms.Children have a right to participate in the digital world. While a blanket ban sounds appealing, in reality it could lead young people into greater danger on less or entirely unregulated sites. Instead, a whole of society approach is essential. Parents, platforms and young people all have a role to play. Education and understanding are key, as is a strict “safety by design” standard for technology companies, one that incorporates robust privacy and age verification features. Young people should not have to contend with addictive design features, recommender systems that amplify harmful content and business practices that exploit their data and vulnerabilities.The impact of harmful online content inevitably spills into children’s offline lives, affecting their wellbeing.At the ISPCC, our priority is to empower young people with the resilience and coping skills they need to thrive in an increasingly complex digital world.Our Childline Listening Service operates 24/7, ensuring that there is always someone ready to listen when a young person needs to talk. – Yours, etc,FIONA JENNINGS,ISPCC head of policy and public affairs,Dún Laoghaire,Co Dublin. Sir, – With reference to “With the UK set to ban social media for under-16s, what is next for Ireland?” (June 15th): how about this for a radical proposition for Irish parents? Children should have no screen time until at least 14 years of age, and should have no access to social media until they are at least 16.I appreciate this is an extreme proposal, but in every negotiation you start by looking for the absolute optimal result and then moderate your demands accordingly. The harsh reality is that every moment a child under 14 spends on a screen represents lost time for learning and development.Research consistently shows that excessive screen time adversely affects the developing brain – reducing attention spans, impairing sleep quality, preventing physical devleopement and dulling creativity and social instincts through passive consumption of content.The science is quite clear on this. The World Health Organisation recommends zero screen time for children under two, and strictly limited exposure for those under five. Longitudinal studies, including those published in authoritative journals such as JAMA Pediatrics, have linked heavy screen use in childhood to reduced cognitive development and poorer academic outcomes.My personal experience reinforces this. My daughter was not allowed a phone until she was 14, and even then it was a basic handset with no internet access. She received a tablet only at 17, and attended a boarding school that limited access to electronic devices to one hour per day.She had to go outside and play with other children, read books, make music, play sport, attend dance classes and engage with the physical world around her. She grew up playing, dancing, making music, drawing and reading voraciously. Today she is studying for a second master’s degree at Trinity College, speaks four languages, plays two musical instruments and still dances.I firmly believe that a significant digital divide will emerge in the coming generation – a developmental gap between children who spent their formative years in front of screens and those who did not. The differences in cognitive ability, emotional intelligence, creativity and social skills are likely to be profound.This is precisely where the law must intervene for the greater social good. The medical, scientific, and psychological evidence consistently and clearly points to the deleterious effects of excessive screen time on brain development and personality formation in children. International bodies such as the American Psychological Association and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have all raised serious concerns in recent years.Please take the screens away from children, and let them grow up naturally. – Yours, etc,LEO E SHARKEY,Bratislava,Slovakia.