I WAS in Waitrose staring at sausages when the invitation came to speak on BBC Radio Cornwall about the social media ban for under 16s. It was 5pm, meaning I was already late for buying dinner, and now I had three hours to educate myself and form an opinion on the subject du jour.

A few things stood me in good stead. Firstly, I’d been drafted in for Anoushka Williams’ Monday Parents’ Evening slot, which meant I’d be in good company with other people who would (fingers crossed) be better prepared than me.

And secondly, I share a home with an opinionated soon to be 16-year-old, who could surely be relied upon to spout at length on the subject. “I think it’s a good idea,” she said in the knowledge that by the time it’s implemented next spring, she’ll be out of the danger zone.

The ban includes Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube and Reddit. Under 16s won’t be able to set up new accounts and their existing profiles will be deactivated, with tougher checks to accurately estimate age, including facial scanning and photo ID matching.

I was impressed to hear Daughter had already been self-policing her own usage. She’d deleted TikTok, followed by Instagram, to avoid mindless scrolling at will; these are still on my phone, which explains why she keeps pinching it, albeit for shorter periods.

“It’s addictive, and I would come off TikTok after an hour feeling really awful for having wasted my time,” she admits. “People don’t really need it, but they become so obsessed with what’s happening and the latest trends.”

However, she was extremely sceptical about how easy it would be to enforce, citing loopholes and workarounds from lying about one’s age to VPNs – virtual private networks, for which searches are expected to soar. The end result could be that teen internet usage is even less safe and regulated than it is now.

She added: “I also think it will be extremely unpopular even with parents, some of whom will ask: ‘What’s wrong with it? My kids have been fine, you’re restricting their free will.’

“And social media companies won’t be happy - especially Snapchat, which thrives on young people, so banning it will be a massive deal.”

Fortunately, Daughter and her friends don’t use Snapchat; they live on WhatsApp, which isn’t included. Their chat group pings all day long; I loathe adult versions, which are concentration hoovers, and I avoid them as much as possible.

Daughter and pals also spend a lot of time on gaming app Roblox, which is equally exempt from the ban – unlike YouTube, which begs the question of how its educational content will be accessed. Kids find it useful – and so do schools. Perhaps it will be migrated into YouTube Kids, although I think a lot of teens would refuse to engage with a children’s channel.

Daughter defended social media as “not bad” as long as you’re not over-reliant on it, or getting lost down the rabbit holes of bad things, or a victim of cyberbullying. She added, sagely: “At 16, you’re better informed and more mature – but maturity comes with use. I’ve been using TikTok for a few years now, and how I use it and what I post now is influenced by experience.”

It’s a shame something like this has to be done for the sake of despicable individuals who get a kick out of encouraging vulnerable youngsters to do harmful things. However, even the parents of victims are divided over whether a ban is a good idea.

While some who have suffered the ultimate loss – children who have died while performing dangerous social media challenges – welcomed the ban with open arms, others were less enthusiastic.

Internet safety campaigner Ian Russell’s 14-year-old daughter Molly died in 2017 while suffering from depression caused by exposure to suicide and self-harm content online. He thinks the prime minister is aiming at the wrong target, suggesting he should have banned personalised algorithms for teens and compelled tech companies to tackle product safety at source, rather than placing the onus on children and parents.

Daughter – who just the other day asked me to do an online facial check to prove she is indeed 53 - is bang on when she says the ban will be tough on the parents left to enforce it. I’m glad I won’t be on the receiving end of a pre/teen going cold turkey after having a freely available drug of choice suddenly withdrawn. In Wales alone, recently published data shows that half of year six children the country report using social media.

To any young person who is fretting about losing their social media of preference, Daughter has the following message: “Go out and touch grass. Read a book. Get real.”

What do you think? I’d love to hear your views. Email [email protected]