Tackling the School Wars Phenomenon

A wave of TikTok-fuelled posts has recently encouraged school pupils to organise fights between schools, using slang borrowed from US gang culture. Actual incidents appear limited, but the trend is worrying.

The Liberal Democrats have proposed a film-style age-rating system for social media. Platforms would default to 16+, with stricter 18+ limits for services hosting graphic violence or other serious harms. Ratings would be set using an Ofcom framework assessing addictiveness, mental-health impact and harmful content.

Disappointingly, Labour MPs have just voted against a proposal to tighten age limits on social media access.

Local Lib Dem campaigner Alan Jones said, “While no single measure will solve the problem, this approach would help protect young people online, give regulators clearer powers, and push tech companies to design safer platforms.”