Rishi Sunak decided to announce his disposable vape ban through an exclusive video on LADbible. After his failed transition video ‘if you live in or around Blyth, you’re going to want to hear this’, it’s surprising that he has taken to social media yet again to announce a major plan. Is this a sign of how us young people are accessing our news?
Our average time on social media slowly creeps towards 6 hours a day; it’s no surprise that even our own Prime Minister is using it as a tool to reach out. His new ban on disposable vapes is aimed at young people, as he insists that the bright colours and flavours are targeting teenagers and maybe even children younger than teenagers.
Recent studies show that around 63% of young people (16-24) consume news through social media compared to 39% of adults. Many news agencies such as the BBC and ITV now have active TikTok accounts where they display relevant news stories; its only a trend that is on the rise. How dangerous is this rise?
Nigel Farage, a far-right politician, continues to grow his platform on TikTok with over five hundred thousand followers and nine million likes. He continues to spread his more right-wing agenda through the medium of TikTok.
He had stood at 5 elections and 2 by-elections, all failing to gain him that all important seat in Parliament. Using social media is a way for him to gain an audience he would have struggled to achieve previously, given he has spent £3,500 on attempting to gain any political power.
Fake news, politically charged stories out of context, and AI being used to generate fake images; is it all going too far? As these issues are on the rise, it highlights the importance of needing to educate our children on how to access news from responsible sources.
Photo source:News18