Young People, Social Media and the Law

Book Details

• Author: Brian Simpson

• Publisher: Routledge

• Language: English

• Edition: Reprint

• ISBN: 9780367264390

• Cover: Paperback

• Pages: 182

• Release Date: 23-03-2019

• Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches

About the Book

In Social Media and Young People, Brian Simpson offers a compelling and critical examination of how legal discourse often frames social media as a threat rather than a tool of empowerment for youth. While law predominantly focuses on concerns like privacy, defamation, intellectual property, and criminal behavior, this book argues that such perspectives risk overlooking the more constructive and transformative potential of social media in the lives of children and adolescents.

Challenging the dominant narrative that portrays young people as passive or endangered digital participants, the book draws on sociological theories of childhood and an expansive range of legal sources. It advocates for a paradigm shift—one that sees social media not merely as a space to regulate, but as a dynamic platform that can enable youth to express themselves, engage civically, and actively participate in democratic society.

A must-read for scholars of law, sociology, youth studies, media studies, and policy-making, this book paves the way for a more nuanced and hopeful understanding of the digital landscape and the roles that young people play within it.