Ben Oxley is a student at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, studying Drama and Applied Theatre. He writes about music and pop culture, and continues to advocate for young people to have access to the arts. Image credit: Emilia Radu

June, outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that from early 2027, social media would be banned for under 16s, in a move “to give kids their childhood back”. Though the finalised list of apps affected are yet to be announced, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are all confirmed to be included. 

Within this political debate, the overwhelming belief seems to suggest social media is a wholly negative force. While there are obvious flaws on such platforms, particularly with the sudden influx of AI-fuelled misinformation, this tunnel vision approach disregards the views of young people, and the positive effects social media can bring, specifically for creative industries. 

For young musicians, social media has become a vitally important, new, digital stage. As reported in Youth Music’s Sound of The Next Generation 2024 report, “68% [of young people] think that having a social media following is an essential part of working in the music industry”. Take Billie Eilish, for example. She was only 13 when “Ocean Eyes” went viral on social media and catapulted the start of her career. Obviously, this immediate virality is incredibly rare, but the precedent is not unheard of. Under these new government proposals, young musicians in the UK would be unable to follow that trajectory. 

This view is echoed by lead singer of alt-rock band lorea, Jay Winn. He stresses, “now more than ever, independent artists rely on social media as not only a tool for branding and promotion, but a means of discovering identity to find like-minded musicians and fans along the unpredictable journey the industry takes us artists on.”

Alongside this, social media provides young musicians with the opportunity to learn instruments and perfect their musical dexterity, in a time where over a fifth of young people (21%) say music lessons are too expensive (Sound of the Next Generation report, 2024). There are endless tutorials for every musical genre and style, designed to educate, accessibly, at the mere click of a button. 

So much of social media is about education: it is not just about exploitation like the government’s blanket ban suggests. 

What underpins the influx in ties between young musicians and social media, however, is a direct result of the continuous decline in grassroots music projects. Youth Music’s Rescue The Roots campaign highlights that 37% of grassroots youth music projects are considering closure due to financial pressure. These projects help nurture talent, and ensure musicians can build sustainable careers in the industry

This is happening concurrently with the continuing struggles for grassroots music venues. Over half of grassroots venues (53%) were unable to make any profit in 2025, amidst the continuing closures of venues across the UK as they struggle with rising costs. 

Should the social media ban go ahead, it is vital that the government invest in grassroots music spaces, and promise legislative action that gives all young people access to music and performance opportunities. 

Youth Music's Rescue The Roots campaign has raised £1 million, which has been matched to raise a total of £2 million for grassroots youth music projects, supporting an estimated 18,000 young people so far. But, as we await for Keir Starmer’s replacement, who will presumably arrive after a long journey on the M6, it is crucial they go beyond a social media ban “to give kids their childhood back”. They must invest in community spaces and creative opportunities for young people at a local level to ensure that careers in music do not remain dreams, but instead become realities. 

Speaking to Time Out Magazine, Femi Koleoso, frontman of the Mercury Prize winning Ezra Collective reflects on his experiences at community groups and youth projects: “I look at what youth clubs allowed me to have – that’s what makes me want to champion them. The schooling institution is under pressure to make sure that I can read and write. If you had zero funding, the saxophone is not going to be your highest priority. But a youth club is a building where my ability to read and write is irrelevant, and it’s giving me hope and something to occupy my mind.”

If the government bans young people from digital stages but fails to protect the grassroots spaces that nurture them offline, it risks silencing the very creativity it claims to protect.

At Youth Music, we believe young people should have the opportunity to shape the conversations that affect their lives and futures. These articles reflect the voices, ideas and ambitions of the next generation shaping music and culture today.